Tape Club

iTunes Review

Initially released in a limited edition of 3,000 copies, Tape Club is now available to the general public. The 2011 compilation sews together demos, b-sides, rarities, and previously unreleased versions of songs by the Springfield, Mo., indie pop quartet. This isn’t a strewn-together collage of outtakes; the band carefully selected these 26 songs from more than 100 recordings. “The Clod and the Pebble” opens as timeless electric guitar tones intertwine with spare piano notes and a moody cello. Over this, Philip Dickey layers amazing self-harmonies. The sublimely catchy “Let’s Get Tired” is boiled-down indie rock at its best. Vintage guitar tones nicely rub against the grain of innovative arrangements, while sing-along melodies float around like feathers from a pillow fight. Skeletal acoustic demos of “What’ll We Do,” “Dead Right,” “Phantomwise,” and “Back in the Saddle” let the listener lurk around the band’s creative process. Conversely, more fully formed songs like “Lower the Gas Prices, Howard Johnson” and “Bastard of Rome” keep us wondering what SSLYBY will do next.