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returntothepit >> discuss >> The Boston Globe's Article on Allston hipsters and the revival of cassettes by arilliusbm on Jul 23,2010 8:41am
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toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 8:41am
sigh... I only read 2 paragraphs in before I quit. Allston+house show+no CDs in pockets = lol quote. Anyone know these bands?

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/20...s_rewinding_to_revive_the_cassette/

It’s three weeks into the Boston band Girlfriends’ first-ever US tour, and the trio is stopped in Albuquerque. They’ve spent the first half of the trip the way most do-it-yourselfers do — finding the bright spots in tiny shows they booked through Internet connections, sleeping on beer-stained floors and old mattresses offered up by hospitable locals. They make gas money huddled over a merch table every night. The hottest item? Their cassette tape. “We’re almost sold out of the third pressing already,’’ says guitarist Ben Potrykus.

Tapes are making a comeback. Chunky and hissy, plastic in custom colors, with crafty artwork on tiny rectangle sleeves and custom-made “j-cards,’’ they’re finding a second life as the go-to medium for underground bands working on shoestring budgets. For a handful of fans, tapes are the perfect antidote for the information overload ignited by digital music and blown up by the iPod.

“Tapes are cheap to buy, cheap to make, and easy to carry around,’’ says Potrykus. “You never see someone walking home from a house show in Allston with a CD or seven’’ in their pocket.’’

For Boston’s latest crop of cassette-carrying bands, the medium fits the message. A horde of psychedelic and garage rock bands — bands like Girlfriends, MMOSS, Quilt, and Doomstar! — translate well to the imperfections of tape. All find common ground in flavors of ’60s rock, typified by fuzzed-out guitar and dusty, echoing vocals. Historically, the genre doesn’t exactly match up with the heyday of the cassette, but the quality of the recordings are uncannily complementary.

Tim Scholl, guitarist in combs-and-stiletto-knives throwback trio Thick Shakes, praises tape’s flaws.

“You don’t know exactly what to expect,’’ he says. “Each tape has a different sort of tension, and each player has its own level of push and pull on the tape itself, so it changes the recording a little.’’

Garage rock isn’t the only snug fit. Bands across the country have been exploiting the medium to make greasy-sounding ’80s electro-funk (think nightclub scenes in “Miami Vice’’) and dreamy, faded pop music. Before that, tape has long been a favored vehicle for niche experimental musicians and labels (like Lowell’s RRRecords) erring toward squelched drones and squealing tape manipulation, all banking on tape’s unpredictability and inevitable decay to work some magic.

“Tapes are great because they have a really nice warm and fuzzy sound,’’ says Quilt’s drummer Taylor McVay. “But also, unlike CDs, tapes cannot be copied onto iTunes, so the tape itself remains a valuable object, rather than just existing as a transfer of data.’’ Vinyl has the same attraction, but as McVay notes, you can’t fearlessly toss a record over your shoulder into your car’s back seat.

Quilt guitarist Anna Rochinski echoes that sentiment. “The ultra-convenience of mp3s makes music very, very disposable to some people,’’ she says. “And I think that’s sad.’’

It’s a notion that collectors across the country are taking to heart. As a genera tion raised on mp3s begins to come of age and backlash against compact discs reaches critical mass, tapes are in an enviable position.

Al Bjornaa runs a label called Scotch Tapes in Ontario. “I used to run a CD label and sales were terrible,’’ he says. “I find a lot of people think CDs are irrelevant. They rip them to their iPod or computer and then never give the album a second thought.’’ Instead, Bjornaa works in small runs of tapes and a few vinyl releases.

“There are those who rip on the resurgence of tapes and that is their choice,’’ he says. “They feel it is a step backward, and I tend to agree. But I want to take that step backward.’’ It’s working — limited runs of iconic noise-rock bands like Oneida (themselves already geared toward a certain mystique and obscurity) lead to sure-fire sellouts and collectibility. “And I like knowing that I can continue to run a profitable label using dead formats while Sony and Universal whine about how much they are losing.’’

The story is the same for Burger Records, a music shop and tape label based in Fullerton, Calif., that just released the new MMOSS tape. It tends to do runs of 250 with handmade artwork, though high-selling tapes have earned repeat pressings. The lo-fi rock ’n’ roll Nobunny’s “Raw Romance’’ tops the discography at 1,000 copies to date, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming a collectible already.

“One of those has sold for $40 on eBay,’’ says label head Sean Bohrman.

Bohrman got into releasing tapes just for kicks when he saw a friend’s band do it a few years ago. “We made CDs of two of our albums,’’ he says. “We still have hundreds and hundreds of copies of them. But we sell tons of tapes, so go figure.’’

Word has spread, and bigger labels are starting to complement wide releases with small runs of cassettes. Indie giants Sub Pop and Vice Records have started working with Bohrman to coordinate tape releases of bands like the Black Lips, Happy Birthday, and Jaill. The reason isn’t just to boost sales. Having a tape, especially one with homemade artwork, can reconnect with fans and ever-more-influential bloggers.

“I enjoy more tape submissions that I get as opposed to CD submissions,’’ says Jheri Evans, who runs a blog called Get Off the Coast from his home in Wilmington, N.C. “The people sending me tapes are usually the bands themselves, or small labels that have a more intimate connection with the music.’’

“I do love the tape hiss and the degradation, and even that little click when Side A comes to an end and you have to flip it. I think for me it’s definitely got a lot of nostalgia in it. My first personal music player was a little Walkman tape deck that my uncle gave to me, along with a few KISS cassettes.’’

“I think a larger sect of the public is willing to listen to tape today, which five years ago would’ve seemed asinine and archaic,’’ says Michael McGregor, who runs the Chocolate Bobka blog and the Curatorial Club tape label out of Brooklyn, N.Y. “Right now, people can make tapes and others actually really care — not just a small subset of collectors and uber-music nerds but the actual music-consuming public who is probably a little bored with mp3s, especially a decade after the iPod rose to prominence.’’

In fact, audio engineer Jeff Lipton, who works out of Newton on recordings by everyone from Arcade Fire to the Dropkick Murphys, begrudgingly ranks tape just ahead of mp3s in audio quality.

“I think tape is a terrible format,’’ he says. “The tape is played too slow to accurately reproduce the high frequencies.’’ He also says the speed of playback leads to audible dropouts and degradation, and that the small track size can’t even hold enough information to sound good.

But in the end, it’s that scrappiness that could be tapes’ most endearing trait. On top of the personality that ghostly bleeding of audio from other tracks lend to recordings, the pitfalls of tape recording can serve as another leveling mechanism, much like the way the Internet has redefined DIY publicity. The home-brewed tapes that Girlfriends are lugging across the country right now are a perfect example.

“The ceiling for audio quality is lower with tapes,’’ says Girlfriends drummer Andrew Sadoway. “The difference between a professional recording and something recorded in some kid’s bedroom is a little harder to hear. It’s sort of a great equalizer.’’

Potrykus agrees: “And we need any great equalizers we can find.’’




toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 8:44am
also no mention of cassettes thriving in black metal = fail



toggletoggle post by SkinSandwich at Jul 23,2010 8:45am
I just nodded off.

Hey man we should find some whores and force them to play strip battleship.














Then rape them.



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 8:50am
strip battleship..?



toggletoggle post by reimroc at Jul 23,2010 9:10am
great so now i'm going to need to buy every album i own on cassette to be cool again.



toggletoggle post by largefreakatzero at Jul 23,2010 9:45am
What an obnoxious article.



toggletoggle post by FuckIsMySignature at Jul 23,2010 10:21am
KILL THEM WITH FIRE



toggletoggle post by ernie   at Jul 23,2010 10:27am
so its a hipster thing now? great.



toggletoggle post by the_reverend   at Jul 23,2010 10:30am
I don't even have anything that plays tapes.



toggletoggle post by reimroc at Jul 23,2010 10:33am
the_reverend said[orig][quote]
I don't even have anything that plays tapes.


usb cassette players coming soon to a record shop near you.



toggletoggle post by Kevord  at Jul 23,2010 3:57pm
I hope tapes are the new trend. I'll make a shit ton of money on ebay.



toggletoggle post by anonymous at Jul 23,2010 4:06pm
this has nothing to do with hipsters idiots



toggletoggle post by MarkFuckingRichards  at Jul 23,2010 4:57pm
I fucking hate tapes...

...but the newest Composted material will be released on limited edition yellow cassettes.

:/



toggletoggle post by Kevord  at Jul 23,2010 5:01pm
Cassettes are horrible. If I had Suicidal Tendencies and Faith No More Albums on MP3 when I was 14 I would have saved so much money not having to rebuy cassettes that broke.



toggletoggle post by MarkFuckingRichards  at Jul 23,2010 5:07pm
I don't understand why people love cassettes so much; I can understand buying tapes from your favorite bands growing up for nostalgia, but beyond that I'm stumped.



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 5:09pm
Walkmen. Simple answer. Nothing spells c-o-o-l like walking around with a Walkman.



toggletoggle post by MarkFuckingRichards  at Jul 23,2010 5:12pm
When I was 11 my mother bought Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Doggystyle" on cassette for me without realizing how offensive it was; everyday on the bus to school kids would pay me their lunch money to listen to a song or two solely to hear all the bad words. Too bad I can't go on school buses and do that now...or could I...



toggletoggle post by Kevord  at Jul 23,2010 5:14pm
arilliusbm said[orig][quote]
Walkmen. Simple answer. Nothing spells c-o-o-l like walking around with a Walkman.

Ipod shuffle. The greatest invention ever. Now I don't have to carry around a backpack full of cassettes and mix tapes.



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 5:16pm
Do it. Dressed up like a hotdog.



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 5:19pm
Composted should release a single on 8 track. I've got an 8 track player. Shits way better than CDs.



toggletoggle post by FuckIsMySignature at Jul 23,2010 5:19pm
MarkFuckingRichards said[orig][quote]
When I was 11 my mother bought Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Doggystyle" on cassette for me without realizing how offensive it was; everyday on the bus to school kids would pay me their lunch money to listen to a song or two solely to hear all the bad words. Too bad I can't go on school buses and do that now...or could I...


and so began your illustrious career. kudos sir.



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 5:21pm
Seriously, anyone know these bands? If they're real psychadelic bands like the Electric Prunes then I'm interested in hearing them. But since they're from Allston, I don't know.



toggletoggle post by FuckIsMySignature at Jul 23,2010 5:22pm
i've heard of Doomstar... but i've also heard of alot of other bands that are ultimately shitcrap



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 5:31pm
Seriously, only real psychadelic music from 1967 is real. Listen to this chord progression:

bennyhillifier



toggletoggle post by bradness so totally at work at Jul 23,2010 5:39pm
Love that Prunes song Aril, ever hear Stiv Bators do it? Not a bad cover


bennyhillifier



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 23,2010 5:48pm
Wow, never heard that version. That was awesome.



toggletoggle post by reimroc at Jul 23,2010 5:56pm
anonymous said[orig][quote]
this has nothing to do with hipsters idiots






toggletoggle post by s.axl.beckett at Jul 23,2010 8:05pm
SOOO OVER IT



toggletoggle post by Nash/Nli at Jul 23,2010 11:02pm
Fuck tapes. If you really want to sell something small and easy to carry with music on it, put your album on a cheap flashdrive



toggletoggle post by Spaldino at Jul 23,2010 11:59pm
arilliusbm said[orig][quote]
Seriously, only real psychadelic music from 1967 is real. Listen to this chord progression:

bennyhillifier



DUDE! i have been rocking out to that song since i was 4! its one of my all time favorites.



toggletoggle post by eyehatehippies  at Jul 24,2010 1:20am
Electric Prunes FTW



toggletoggle post by quintessence  at Jul 24,2010 4:34am
Tapes are only true if you listen to them in the deck of your camaro.



toggletoggle post by goatcatalyst   at Jul 24,2010 5:50am
I know a lot of dudes with old ass cars with tape decks. My 98 legacy has a tape deck . Glad I kept my old ones. Kind of a nostalgia factor there. I dig tthe format too



toggletoggle post by goatcatalyst   at Jul 24,2010 5:55am
mmmmmhmmmmmmmm



Nightbitch tape coming in August via classy Billy C.'s No Visible Scars label. (Vinyl to follow in October... shame the Victrola in my Packard skips)



toggletoggle post by anonymous at Jul 24,2010 7:06am
you can here mmoss here:
mmoss.bandcamp.com
they are from NH.



toggletoggle post by Lamp  at Jul 24,2010 8:35am
I hate tapes, but not only are they cheap here, they're cheap to get around the world too. In countries where the currency exchanges poorly against the US dollar, it's impractical to trade for CDs or vinyl because a lot of the locals wouldn't be able to afford them. So tapes are the way to go if you want your music to be heard in places like Southeast Asia.



toggletoggle post by markworkingrichards at Jul 24,2010 8:36am
The Southeast Asian metal market is where it's at.



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 24,2010 8:51am
Only non-Christian Kekal is real.



toggletoggle post by who at Jul 24,2010 1:58pm
anonymous said[orig][quote]
you can here mmoss here:
mmoss.bandcamp.com
they are from NH.


i just searched for mmoss on google and this thread came up-i listen to their tape while cruising in my le baron-they live in my town, dover, definitely not allston.



toggletoggle post by quintessence_nli at Jul 24,2010 6:11pm
I actually prefer tapes to cd's because they dont scratch and it forces you to listen to a whole side without skipping around.



toggletoggle post by My_Dying_Bride at Jul 25,2010 10:18am
that Prunes song is straight up S+G


bennyhillifier



toggletoggle post by arilliusbm  at Jul 25,2010 11:00am
s+g never fails



toggletoggle post by MillenialKingdom  at Jul 25,2010 11:36am
This is not 1984. Stop trying to bring back crappy, dead technology.



toggletoggle post by Lamp  at Jul 25,2010 11:52am
MillenialKingdom said[orig][quote]
This is not 1984. Stop trying to bring back crappy, dead technology.


Spoken like someone with absolutely no respect for foreign music whatsoever.



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