Walk It Off (Bonus Track Edition)

iTunes Review

Minnesota’s Tapes ‘n Tapes released their debut album, The Loon, in 2006 to much critical acclaim. A band clearly well-schooled on two decades’ worth of indie rock’s crème de la crème, anyone with an ear for college radio took to their sound with delight. Two years later, detractors may feel the quartet has slipped into a bit of a malaise on Walk it Off, but others will find a more thoughtful, original, and focused band at work. Rather than evoking indie gods X, Y, or Z on any given track, the band cranks the edgier tunes with a steady hand all their own, and the more subdued numbers conjure more emotion. “Le Ruse” turns into a full swagger after a sputtering start, guitars fully ablaze, and “Blunt” is, ironically, a fuzzed-out assault of sharp angles and jagged edges. The antsy, nervous “Hang Them All” and “The Dirty Dirty” thrive on their own tightly wound energy; “Conquest” and “Headshock” take the edge off a bit with a softer gait, although a sort of yearning, emotional punch is visceral. There is plenty here to admire, and plenty of contemplative mood to get lost in. (The band also tied Walk It Off to a promotion for nationwide walks for breast cancer awareness in spring 2008.  Nice work.)