Album Review: Chris Walla - Tape Loops
By Van Williams, Contributor
[Trans; 2015]
Rating: 4.5/5
Key Tracks: “Kanta’s Theme,” “Introductions,” “Goodbye”
Chris Walla is most known for his work as guitarist, songwriter and producer for used-to-be-indie-not-so-indie-anymore rock band Death Cab For Cutie. Tape Loops is not a Death Cab For Cutie record minus Ben Gibbard. This is a slow, beautifully recorded ambient record, comprised solely of instrumentals and digitally manipulated analogue tape.
The process of making a record this way has been shelved due to the convenience of the digital age; however, here it pays off greatly. Tape Loops is not a record comprised of tracks, but a record in the truest sense of the word--one cohesive piece meant to be listened to in a full sitting where one can soak up all the tiny pieces of the greater whole. Imagine waking up at five a.m. on a foggy morning, walking outside and just standing, absorbing it all. That is what Tape Loops sounds like.
Some may give a record a high rating based on its ability to be listened to over and over, on any sort of occasion. Such is not the case with Tape Loops, however; there is a time and a place for this record, but when heard in said time and place, Walla’s album goes far beyond serving i’s purpose. The atmospheric piano and soft guitar driven record sounds like the new Scandinavian environment Walla has recently moved to with his family. The record exits as quietly as it enters, clocking in around 40 minutes, leaving the listener wondering where exactly their hour went.
