Blog: The Tape

If you're a reader of this site, you've probably begun to notice our lack of consistent content — our penchant for multiple posts in a week before we go silent for the next two. This update is by no means an attempt to correct this issue, as we're very busy learning massive amounts of information [...]

He spoke with his eyes, tear-filled A lump in his throat, his fear built My whole life it was instilled This ain't the way that men feel A feeling, he said he wish he could kill A feeling, not even time could heal (This is how real life's supposed to be? For it to happen [...]

This is the first part of an ongoing series in which we examine collectives and/or groups of musicians and the various groups they inhabit. This first piece focuses on The War On Drugs, Nightlands, and Kurt Vile. Every once in a while, indie rock likes to separate its participants into factions—collectives of musicians that make [...]

A little late, but here's my list of the albums that moved me the most this past year. 1. Destroyer - Kaputt The best damn elevator music I've heard in the past twelve months. 2. The Weeknd - House of Balloons Probably the most cohesive album of the year aesthetically—a completely absorbing, gorgeous, and sometimes [...]

All throughout 2011 I was talking about 2011 being, like, the best year ever in music. People were freeing themselves like never before, artists were digging deep, and pulling brilliance from unexpected places. Women and men took chances! Crafts got perfected! Paradigms shifted! To me, when I heard Sufjan Stevens' The Age of Adz and Kanye [...]

Nat is lucky enough to get his own post, mostly because I feel bad about my Knicks taking down his Celtics on Christmas day. The Dirty Projector/upright bass superstar gave us a thorough list, one that includes books and venues too! Check it out below, and check out Nat's newest release, People Changes. It happens [...]

Like our last collab, these two would make some funky music as well. Nick Waterhouse: Allah-las : Catamaran 45 JD McPherson: North Side Gal Packy Axton comp Mike James Kirkland comp Sinkane (Yeasayer): Shabaazz Palaces - Black Up Michael Redolfi - Immersion/Pacific Tubular Waves Four Tet - Moma Aquarius Heaven - Heaven Helado Negro - [...]

Saul Williams isn't a particularly happy rapper. However, the distinction between his character as a rapper/poet and his character as a person is important, for in every interview I've ever seen him conduct he's appeared to be nothing short of charming. He seems to save all of his anger for his music, taking the issues [...]

Wouldn't this be a rad collaboration? We think so too. Busdriver did a ton of amazing things in 2011, but more on that later. Steve was a bit quieter, although he did release an absolutely killer track with Zach Hill. Both Tape homies sent us their favorite record(s) of 2011, although Steve's isn't much of [...]

We're doing things real big this year, bigger than you've ever seen before. If you don't like all things grandiose, . Here's how it's going down: We're not big on parading our own opinions and calling them the "best," so we'll be offering up a lot of our favorite stuff. This will be a few [...]

Author's Note: As the world's foremost Kevin Lyttle scholar (an honor bestowed upon me by the most marginal plurality necessary for such a title), I am under a great deal of pressure to make this first exposition particularly enlightening, for if not I, then who else would or could? However, I am thoroughly confident in [...]

Can's Tago Mago was reissued in a 40th anniversary edition November 15th. The 40th anniversary reissue campaign will continue all year, and we at The Tape found ourselves wondering: why? Why Can? Why now? Tristan: It seems to me that Can has a large place in the canon of modern music, even if their product [...]

In 2007, Okkervil River released the Golden Opportunities Mixtape as an early Christmas present (the record was released on December 12th) and a thank you to their fans. The record consisted mostly of popular cover songs, including renditions of tunes by Randy Newman, John Cale, Serge Gainsbourg, and Joni Mitchell. It's interesting to compare the [...]

Today, nostalgia is a pervasive pop culture element. Lists cataloging the best bands of the 20002s, best movies of the 902s, etc., build in us a feeling that all the best things have already been done. This feeling is no more evident than when discussions about music amongst music lovers arise. Political rock was never [...]

Two things: one, I never watched Degrassi. And two, I'm going to try to go this whole piece without using the K word. But I love Take Care and haven't felt this fulfilled by an artist's expansion of their previous work since Kanye put out My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Fuck. Including here at The [...]

Busdriver is one of rap's strangest figures, but he's exceeded his weirdest offerings with his newest track, "NoBlacksNoJewsNoAsians." The first single from his upcoming Beaus$Eros is somehow both engaging and alienating, hammering home the "No Blacks, No Jews, No Asians" thesis over a post-disco-esque frantic assault of a beat. "Number 22 the sex offender Google [...]

It's pretty clear that 21st century music runs through Pitchfork. Print magazines don't have the impact they used to, and their correlating online sites aren't nearly as relevant as the tastemakers over at P4K. The slightly troubling issue about this power, however, is that Pitchfork doesn't seem wholly clean. As a powerful industry leader, they [...]

Freddie Gibbs recently released his wonderful Cold Day In Hell mixtape to critical acclaim. Emanuel Vinson really likes it, as do I. Together, we form a Megatron like figure, analyzing the record in the form of a "chat." We had a lot of fun doing this, and hopefully we'll be able to do another one [...]

San Fransisco is hardly a haven for rappers, especially (and also shockingly) for those of the underground variety. ASAP Rocky and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire are from New York; Danny Brown hails from Detroit; Odd Future from LA; etc. The point being that The Jealous Guys not only being birthed but also still residing in San [...]

In honor of our favorite holiday—the month long No Shave November, we asked some of our favorite artists questions about their facial hair. All interviews are entirely devoid of musical questions, as we see No Shave November as a time of repentance and self-reflection, focusing on a self-evaluation of where one is at in their [...]