HEAR THIS: Old Tapes

I first gave the sister-brother duo Old Tapes a listen mainly because they’re from my old hometown, Rochester, NY. Now, this is a city not typically known for introducing great music into the world (at least not since The Chesterfield Kings 30-plus years ago) and I had my fingers crossed that I’d just get something halfway decent.

Turns out that my expectations were WAY too low. “Farewell” the lead track from 2011’s This is Good-bye EP is an absolute delightful mix of indie/synth/electronica sounds with mournful yet gorgeous vocals. Throw in a wicked cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Games” and there’s no reason not to love what these Rochester kids are putting out. I may be a few months late discovering this particular brand of awesome, but I’m already looking forward to their next release.