Walk It Off [PA] [Digipak] (CD - 2008)

Audio Mixer: Dave Fridmann.

Recording information: Tarbox Studios, Cassadago, NY.

For its second full-length outing, 2008's WALK IT OFF, the lauded Minneapolis-based indie-rock ensemble Tapes `n Tapes enlisted the help of prolific producer Dave Fridmann, who has also worked with the fellow Minnesotan act Low. Rather than going for an ornate and elaborate sophomore album, the group opted to keep things lean and mean, largely sticking to its edgy guitar-driven sound. While Josh Grier still sings in a Frank Black/David Byrne yelp, Tapes' restless alt-rock aesthetic is intriguingly fluid, masterfully picking up on nuances from numerous 1980s/'90s artists, yet never seeming derivative. Highlights include the urgently funky "Hang Them All" and the sinister "Demon Apple," a track that could have fit seamlessly on Echo & the Bunnymen's PORCUPINE. minimize