tapes 'n tapes

Walk It Off, the sophomore album by the Minneapolis quartet Tapes 'n Tapes, might appropriately be considered the archetypical indie-rock album. It tries a little of everything but comes off as more spontaneous than premeditated. At some times manic, at others forlorn, the album is constantly preoccupied with its own emotion.

Some tracks, like "Hang Them All," are reminiscent of the Black Keys with their angular riffs, jilted tempo and low-fi production values. Vocalist Josh Grier uses the falsettos and yelps that are in vogue among groups like Band of Horses and Modest Mouse. While these aural acrobatics often lend a distinct vibrancy to the music, at times they are more of a vapid distraction than a substantial contribution to the overall sound.

The centerpiece of the album is undoubtedly "Say Back Something," which attempts a grander scope than any other track, with heat-beat-like drumming and stripped-down guitars. Consequently, the track feels out of place among the other, less portentous songs.

Although they are often compared to alt-rock contemporaries the Arcade Fire, Tapes 'n Tapes lack their extensive, arcane sound as well as their pretension. Instead of a concerted effort to write "the best album of the year," Walk It Off is the product of a band with a thousand different conceptions of who they want to be-none of which are fully fleshed out. Instead of being dead-set on a particular sound, they seem willing to shift the tone and arrangement between nearly every track. Listening to all of the songs consecutively is like reading an anthology of short stories where each could have been written by a different author.

In an industry were every act seems to have an expiration date, Tapes 'n Tapes seems unconcerned with finding their niche. But like a child that wants to be everything when he grows up, Tapes 'n Tapes must choose a particular style that suits them or else wind up with nothing at all.