TAPE LOOP - Reviews, Loopers speak their brains Options

[Sostie]

Here it is. Your own, brand new, Loop review thread

[maian]

Why So Cheerious? by Rua.

Track 1: We kick off with caws and funky bass, organ and guitar all combine for a slinky, subdued instrumental that nicely sets the tone for the mix. On its own, it's only mildly diverting, but it gets things off to a good start.

Track 2: I really should know who this is by since I used it as bed music for my radio show for two years, but it's just completely gone. Reminiscing aside, this is an astounding slice of self-diagnosed neo-soul that is impossible to shake out of your head. Melancholic but insistent, it's the first highlight of the mix.

Track 3: Change of pace and style, slightly, as this bluesy entry keeps things moving. Not as striking as the previous or succeeding tracks, but still entertaining.

Track 4: The fast-plucked guitar reminded me of a Sons and Daughters track but the breathless male delivery put paid to that idea. As I've already intimated, I liked this track a lot. Not catchy, as such, but a hell of a lot of fun to listen to, if you can keep up.

Track 5: The intro made me think of Super Furry Animals at their more straightforward, but I can never mistake that accent. I love these guys and this fuzz-laden cacophony, whilst not as danceable or sexy as their other stuff, is still a cut above and the track fits in nicely with the laconic feel of the first couple tracks.

Track 6: The first forgettable track on the mix as far as I'm concerned. Plodding hip-hop beats and an uninteresting male-female dynamic. Not terrible, but it all went in one ear, out the other and hit the skip button on the way out after a few listens.

Track 7: This sounds really familiar to me, a bit like Bright Eyes, perhaps, but with a stronger emphasis on tunes and a youthful exuberance that I found appealing. The female 'ba-bas' really help sell the melody and the layered production doesn't threaten to overwhelm the rather gentle vocals. I liked this a lot.

Track 8: Another really familiar one that I just can't place. Like an unadorned LCD Soundsystem, it's driven by a strong, pulsing bass and an almost non-stop chorus. For all that, it's not something that really made an impression on me. Good, but not something I'd listen to on its own.

Track 9: An instrumental that starts small with a nice, electronic melody then builds into a symphony of musical landscapes. Just short enough that it doesn't outstay its welcome and does just enough in the time it has to linger in the memory. Very Sigur Ros-esque, without the jibberish or the fuzzy feeling their music leaves me with.

Track 10: I thought these guys may show up at some point. Not quite the ''cunts the NME likes this week'' that I first took them for, but I'm still not quite convinced. This is very good, though, and even if they mispronounce the name of the planet to serve the melody, it's still a lovely piece of synth-pop. Their name is rubbish, though.

Track 11: Legendary. Though I prefer this miniature Jehovah Witness's ''Scottish Tramp'' phase, this is still an amazing pop song with great vocals from the man himself and the backing singers. Add in some nice percussion, an unforgettable hook and hand claps and you've got a classic of epic proportions.

Track 12: Soaring and somewhat anthemic, yes, but sadly it didn't make much of an impression on me. The vocals are pretty, but the actual song itself just sort of bored me. Neither here nor there, I'm afraid.

Track 13: Ooh, I like this fella. A very pleasant rock song about longing to see the wider world and lost love. The actual song doesn't quite catch the ear but this one grew on me after a few listens.

Track 14: Recognise the voice, not the song, and it's a nice surprise. In keeping with the mellow end to the mix, it's a low-key, tender piece of guitar-driven pop that hits all the right notes for me. Very nice.

Track 15: We get even mellower now as a bit of blues and slide guitar take us out. Again, not a stunning song on first listen but one that grew on me after a couple of plays.


I liked this mix a lot, even if a fair few of the tracks left me feeling indifferent. It maintains the vibe set by the first track and carries it right through to the end, and as such winds up being a perfectly nice, mellow collection that improved on every listen. It rarely soars, but it rarely dips either, and it's a consistent mix that flows from track to track with a laid back and gentle ease.

8/10

A tracklist would be much appreciated.

This post has been edited by maian: Aug 31 2008, 07:09 PM