Music Reviews

What we are listening to. Non-critically.

 |  No. 95

: Old Yellow Moon

reviewed by Larry Crane

This excellent collaboration between Emmylou and Rodney, her former Hot Band cohort, presents a clean, straightforward recording of two legendary country singers laying down some great takes. Emmylou...

 |  No. 95

: Silver Silver

reviewed by John Baccigaluppi

This is one of my favorite records I've heard lately, with some of the most interesting production and arrangements. It reminds me of some of the best work of Mitchell Froom [Tape Op #10] and Valgeir...

 |  No. 94

: El Ten Eleven

reviewed by Larry Crane

I've always felt that the best way to check out an artist is to see them perform live. In the current age of digital nip and tuck, a great performance carries even more weight in my opinion. When I...

 |  No. 94

: Sorry to Bother You

reviewed by Larry Crane

Is this a hip-hop record? What is considered a hip-hop record, at this point in time? These days some rock albums are made from the same amount of bits and pieces as any sample-based production....

 |  No. 93

: The Beatles Stereo Vinyl Box Set

reviewed by Jeff Slate

A few weeks ago, I spoke with some of the brass from The Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd and EMI Records at the New York City screening of Magical Mystery Tour. Surprisingly, they turned the cocktail...

 |  No. 93

: Beasts of the Southern Wild

reviewed by

While Tape Op is a magazine about music recording, I can't help but notice the parallels between great albums and movies made outside of the major music and film industries and their respective...

 |  No. 93

: Lux

reviewed by Larry Crane

When we interviewed Brain Eno [Tape Op #85] one of the questions surrounding Eno and Peter Chilvers' iPhone app, Bloom, was whether one could record their own instance of the generative music Bloom...

 |  No. 93

: Eight

reviewed by Larry Crane

Jim Putnam [Tape Op #24] and crew have been turning out quality records exactly as long as Tape Op has been publishing, and I can guarantee you that our offices have been buzzing with the sublime...

 |  No. 89

: What Kind of World

reviewed by Larry Crane

In Tape Op #82 I picked Brendan's brain about his thoughts and experiences with recording. Here he drops his fifth solo album, this one recorded at the decidedly retro-ish Welcome to 1979 Studios in...

 |  No. 89

: A Wasteland Companion

reviewed by Larry Crane

As a recording engineer I can't even count the number of albums I've worked on where my participation didn't end up on the final album - hell, some records never even came out. I'm by no means saying...

 |  No. 89

: Smoking In Heaven

reviewed by Larry Crane

Last issue, #88, Liam Watson opined, "using older equipment or simpler recording techniques doesn't necessarily mean you intend things to sound 'lo-fi.'" In Tape Op #67 we interviewed Lewis Durham,...

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