Minneapolis quartet Tapes 'n Tapes have had a hard time of it. In the last several years, the fledgling indie band has fallen prey to bloggers that first hailed the band's talent. Tapes 'n Tapes shot out of Pitchfork's Best New Music cannon with its 2005 debut, The Loon. Its affable, meandering energy and sprightly off-kilter melodies mesmerized fans, but the buzz was overheated. By 2008, when the band's Dave Fridmann-produced Walk It Off emerged, the infatuation had passed.
The album staggered beneath some overripe arrangements and took its critical lumps. The band left its label and self-produced and released its third album, Outside. It arrived last month to some undeservedly indifferent reviews. True to form, it's something of a stylistic grab bag, from the dramatic Walkman-esque strut of "Swm" to "Freak Out," a neo-psych stomp worthy of Dr. Dog, and "Badaboom" which deeply recalls Vampire Weekend. Any lack of originality or focus is more than compensated for by better execution and hooks, completing the band's evolution from wildly overrated to vastly underappreciated.
Tapes 'n Tapes with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and O, Giant Man. Friday, March 4 at Jackpot Music Hall. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. $12.
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