Album Review: Memory Tapes - Grace/Confusion

Memory Tapes
Grace/Confusion
Rating: Grrrr

Returning quickly with a new record, Memory Tapes, a.k.a. Dayve Hawk, appears to be trying to do damage control after his second record, 2011's Player Piano seemed to stall his forward progression. 2009's Seek Magic was one of those records that came out of nowhere to bewitch and beguile, taking dance-pop to new levels with a focus on dreamy guitar and synth textures, using lengthy run times to completely bathe the listener in washes of ethereal gorgeousness. 2011's Player Piano made the mistake of trying to corral these meanderings into more traditional song structures, muting the impact that the tracks could have had. While it was not a disastrous record, it just didn't play to his obvious strengths, and left me wanting. In interviews, Hawk has mentioned that Grace/Confusion would return to longer song structures and be messier and more experimental. While this is true in theory, the record is actually more of a mix of both his records, featuring a little more structure to his usual wanderlust. While it still pales in comparison to the effortless nature of Seek Magic, it is definitely a huge step back on track.

With the shortest track coming in just over 5 minutes long, there is not a lot of succinctness here. There is a nice balance though between more traditional song structures and Hawk's penchant for lazily follow his own path. Opener "Neighborhood Watch" starts off in a dreamy haze before lifting off with a rising tide of keyboards and insistent guitars, and closing out with a lengthy, almost-psychedelic coda.



Two of the lengthier tracks really showcase Hawk's uncanny knack for blending different moods into a seamless whole. "Safety" strikes out from a muted beginning into a lightly funked up synth pop jam, morphing halfway through touching on guitar drone, dream pop, and shoegaze before circling back.



"Sheila," which despite its almost 9 minute run time could be the album's one "single" takes its time from its shambling opening, into a New Order-esque synth workout, climbing into more prog-guitar territory.



The more traditional tracks still offer lots of interesting textures and sounds in them, but on a more economical scale, from "Follow Me"'s mooning keyboards and aching vocals, "Thru the Field"'s dream pop romanticism, and the stunning eruption of synth percussion at the end of the mournful "Let Me Be." All of these tracks combine into a deliriously varied and inviting record. While it really doesn't advance his aesthetic much from Seek Magic, it appears more of a way to regain his momentum from the misstep that was Player Piano. When the music is this fun and engaging, however, I don't particularly mind an artist playing to their strengths again.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Memory Tapes: Player Piano

Memory Tapes
Player Piano
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

As a genre, chillwave had a very short shelf-life. There is really only so much you can do with a blissed out, sunkissed, dreamy sound that hasn't been done before. All the bands that were the stars of the scene, Washed Out, Toro Y Moi, and Memory Tapes, have released their follow ups to their defining albums and the results have been quite interesting. Toro Y Moi ditched the chillwave sound entirely, moving toward a more 70s R&B/disco vibe, which, at least for me, didn't work very well. Washed Out's first full length (after two lauded EPs) Within and Without has just been released, and I will likely review it next week, and at first listen sounds like his original work, but more expansive and with much better production values. By far the most notable member of the genre, Memory Tapes's (one man bad, Dayve Hawk) debut album Seek Magic was filled to the brim with experimentation, hooks, and a fun vibe. It was on endless repeat two years ago on my iPod. With breathless anticipation I have waited for his sophomore release, wondering where he would take his sound.

Player Piano is an interesting second album for Memory Tapes. The experimentation and hooks are still there (and it is obvious the production values are far better), but where on Seek Magic these worked off each other well, here they seem to be an odds with each other, creating a tension that is in some instances welcome, and in others in congruent. Almost all of the tracks start in one direction and then end up in a completely different place, making the album feel slightly schizophrenic. The good thing about this approach is that if a part of a song, or the album, is not to your liking, you merely have to wait a few minutes and something new will come along. In contrast, when you are digging a hook or melody, he inevitably mucks it up by taking it in a direction you don't want it to go.

When he gets it right, it is spot on. "Sun Hits" is a 3 and 1/2 minute piece of pure pop bliss, with chiming/ringing guitars and upbeat tempo, featuring the lyrical hook "Nothing's a dream if you never wake up."



"Trance Sisters" is slightly darker, but also benefits from a driving beat, fuzzy surf guitars, and funky synths.



"Offers" features a delightful use of oboes as a counterpoint effect to the lowkey instrumentation and laconic delivery of Hawk.



And first single "Yes I Know" is a complete surprise, a delicate, almost pastoral ballad, featuring lush synth strings and woodwinds to calming effect.



The problems with Player Piano are not many, but they are pretty glaring. First, on Seek Magic, Hawk only sung on a few tracks, the remainder being instrumentals. Here, he pretty much sings on every track, and his voice, which is thin and reedy, is best taken in small doses. And to mask his weak voice, most of his vocals are heavily reverbed or multi-tracked to mask his deficiencies. And second, as mentioned earlier, the songs that mutate have some diminishing returns. "Today Is Our Life" begins strongly as a midtempo electronic pop song, then midway turns into a synth-pop/country hootenanny.



"Worries," on the other hand, starts weakly with a bizarre organ churned melody and high-pitched vocal from Hawk, but erupts midway with gorgeous guitars and upbeat drumming.



The rest of the album is made up of slight instrumental passages that really don't add to the flow of the record or provide any direction to where Player Piano is going. Hawk still knows his way around a hook and how to put together sounds that you wouldn't think would go together; but where that talent was fully focused and brilliantly executed on Seek Magic, here it is mostly scattershot and unsuccessful. By trying to make himself into a "band" he has limited himself, and unfortunately his voice is just not strong enough to carry an album's worth of songs. For his next project, it would benefit him to rely more on his strengths, and to not try to be something he is not.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Memory Tapes: "Yes I Know"

Hauntingly surreal black and white clip for a track off the upcoming Memory Tapes album Player Piano, which is set for release on July 15.

Memory Tapes: Player Piano

The sophomore album from hazy/trippy act Memory Tapes, Player Piano, is set to be released on July 5. Up above is the bizarre cover art. Below are two tracks you can preview from the album, as well as the final track list.

Wait In The Dark by Memory Tapes

Today Is Our Life by Memory Tapes

Player Piano

01 musicbox(in)
02 Wait in the Dark
03 Today Is Our Life
04 Yes I Know
05 Offers
06 Humming
07 Sun Hits
08 Worries
09 Fell Thru Ice
10 Fell Thru Ice II
11 Trance Sisters
12 musicbox(out)

Memory Tapes Set To Release Sophomore Album, Player Piano

On July 5, Davye Hawk, otherwise known as Memory Tapes, will release his second album. Player Piano. He says that the album will be less like the chilled out synth-heavy work of his debut Seek Magic and more inspired by “keyboard-based psychedelic girl-group songs” and rather than using programmed beats will use “drums that sound like The Kinks’ ’60s records.” Should be an interesting listen. Below is the first peek from the record.