Live Review: Tapes 'n Tapes at Fillmore

“I know musicians say this all the time, but I REALLY love San Francisco. It’s a beautiful city. My Mom is from here,” said lead singer Josh Grier. Tapes ‘n Tapes stopped by the Fillmore on Saturday night in support of their long awaited second album and played to a near capacity crowd.

This marks the third time I’ve seen the band, and I consider myself a fan. Walk It Off, the band’s latest offering has been on a steady rotation for me. The guys from Minnesota were courteous and didn’t keep the audience waiting too long between the opening act. The set opened with two tracks from The Loon, before breaking out “Le Ruse,” the first track from Walk It Off. It may be the best song the band has written to date, and arms from the audience were punching the air. Like the albums’ sequence, they followed with the exceptional “Time of Songs.” The songs from The Loon got a more ruckus reaction from the audience, and I’m not sure if it was because Walk It Off has only been out for a month and the songs haven’t had a chance to grow on people yet. Or is it that the songs from The Loon are just better as a whole?

The Loon is exceptional all the way through, and while Walk It Off has higher highs, it also has lower lows. (The dreaded sophomore jinx, perhaps?) The good songs went smashingly well, and the audience got wild especially for “The Iliad,” “Insistor,” “Cowbell” and “Hang Them All.” The band encored with the excellent and dreamy “Omaha” and closed with “Jakov’s Suite,” both from The Loon.

- Review submitted by Jeff Bracco.