SINGLE/VIDEO REVIEW: Brain Surgery (ft. Tim Lefebvre) by Made On Tape.

Made On Tape is the artistic moniker of Chris Agar, a bassist currently residing in New York City with roots in Metro Detroit. He has been involved in several music projects in the past including being the co-founder of a female fronted indie rock group called DDWhite, helped Collin Stanley make his debut EP (you can read my review and listen here) and created a rock band called Working Flakes. He has also worked on Broadway.

Made On Tape is his first solo project, and it refers to the equipment used which involves a  TASCAM tape recorder, an 80’s Roland drum machine and a reel-to-reel recorder from the 1970’s. Made on Tape have released several EPs (you can read my review of the How Will I Justify This Habit Today EP here) and many single releases, with recent singles including Flagstone, The Last Word and Courteously.

This latest release, Brain Surgery, is an alt. electronica instrumental featuring the renowned session musician and band bassist Tim Lefebvre, whose list of extensive credits includes working with David Bowie, The Black Crowes, Elvis Costello and Sting, amongst many others. Tim performs both the main and lead basses on this track, with Eric Hoegemeyer on modular synth and percussion, and Collin Stanley on piano.

The track is best appreciated via the incredibly creative, clever and humorous video that accompanies the release. The track opens with a haunting three note motif played in tandem on bass and synth before an extremely intricate electronic beat emerges, bringing to mind the more experimental albums of Radiohead (Kid A/Amnesiac etc). Owing to its tape-based production, the sound is warm and full despite the relative sparseness of the music.

As Brain Surgery progresses an array of spectral synth lines and syncopated patterns weave in and out of the mix, underpinned by Lefebvre’s remarkably versatile, swooping bassline. This lays the foundation for a roaming, highly inventive synth line (which the listener might mistake for distorted electric guitar) that fills out the soundscape to great effect. Things take a rather psychedelic turn towards the end of the track as the music slows down and morphs into a disorienting melange of spacey sounds that leaves the listener wondering if someone has slipped acid in their drink.

Overall, Brain Surgery is a highly innovative and quirky alternative electronica track that features some remarkable musicianship and creative production techniques. Combined with the equally creative and very entertaining video, the result is the most original thing I’ve heard (and seen) all year. I look forward to hearing more from Made on Tape and hope Brain Surgery reaches the wide audience it deserves.

VERDICT= 9 out of 10 

Alex Faulkner

E.P. REVIEW: How Will I Justify This Habit Today by Made On Tape

Made On Tape is the artistic moniker of a bassist currently residing in New York City with roots in Metro Detroit. He has been involved in several music projects in the past including being the co-founder of a female fronted indie rock group called DDWhite, helped Collin Stanley make his debut EP (you can read my review and listen here) and created a rock band called Working Flakes. He has also worked on Broadway.

Made On Tape is his first solo project, and it refers to the equipment used which involves a  TASCAM tape recorder, an 80’s Roland drum machine and a reel-to-reel recorder from the 1970’s. This EP, How Will I Justify This Habit Today, consists of five instrumental tracks. As mentioned above, all the music was recorded onto tape which gives the sound a distinctive warmth and “fatness”.

The opening track How begins with a swirl of reversed synths before a series of punchy drum breaks leads us into the main section. Naturally, being a bassist, the lead melody is provided by a propulsive, bouncy bassline which works in tandem with the taut groove of the drums. This is augmented by subtle but highly effective lead guitar lines and even more subtle synths that fill out the soundscape nicely. The stop-start drums makes for a fine dynamic, with handclaps adding further variety later on.

Will I is based around a four to the floor beat and another funky, swooping bassline which is doubled up with a morphing synth on the main melody. The beat gradually grows in intricacy, augmented by high end funk guitar. The staccato bass riffs are counterpointed by a jazz-inflected rolling bassline in places which makes for a nice contrast. Even the synths resemble wah-wah guitar at points and the result is a very catchy 70’s influenced funk instrumental that would sound great in a club or as a theme tune.

Justify is built around a slick 2/4 groove and another taut staccato bassline that brought to mind The Beatle’s Taxman, though the overall sound made me think of Another One Bites The Dust by Queen. It has a similarly infectious rhythm and melody, with the prominent lead guitar lines adding to the texture, sometimes working in tandem with the bass. Things turned somewhat psychedelic towards the end, repeated drum fills creating a mesmeric effect as they collide with a suddenly sinister bassline and eerie synths. Great track.

Fourth track, This Habit, starts with just an instantly memorable bassline and glockenspiel chords, which then doubles the melody. It creates a pleasing tension before the drums enter, and the sound brought to mind the famous Prince productions of the 80’s. The roaming bass melody keeps the ear interested throughout, with some fine counterpoint synth melodies in the background.

The EP closes with Today (perspicacious readers will have realised by now that the tracks spell out the EP title!). It’s the fastest and most intense track, featuring a truly virtuoso bass performance. Again, it has a distinct aspect of the psychedelic in certain sections, the interplay between the bass and metamorphosing, modulating synths creating a bewildering effect at times. The mysterious, haunting synth chords that end the EP leaves the listener dangling and wanting more. Once more, this could be very effective as part of a soundtrack and rounds off the EP in a strong way.

Overall, this is a very accomplished set of instrumentals with a unique vintage sound. Centred around consistently vibrant and inventive basslines, the music continually intrigues the ear and goes to some unexpected places. A blend of funk, jazz and various styles of electronica, the music is accessible yet unlike anything around at the moment. For anyone searching for something a little left of field and loves old school analog warmth, I can heartily recommend Made On Tape.

 

VERDICT= 8.8 out of 10 

Alex Faulkner

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