CD Reviews

Memory Tapes | Grace/Confusion

Carpark Records (2012)

By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER | December 4, 2012

3.0 Stars

It was a mad bummer when Philly's synth-infused post-punk outfit Hail Social quietly called it a day a half-decade ago after just two inspired releases. Thankfully the group's driving force, Dayve Hawk, headed back to South Jersey and kept at it as Memory Tapes. Now three releases in, he continues to push the boundaries into a hazy shade of pop; the eight-minute "Sheila" stresses this by buzzing about with delightful knob twisting anchored by Hawk's electro-falsetto. "Neighborhood Watch" calls to mind early Ratatat, whereas "Thru the Field" bounces in a way that's almost too New Order-y for its own good. Listlessness creeps in at times, but Hawk is generally good at keeping things moving, either with a catchy verse or by upping the BPM. The disc's six tracks clock in at less than 40 minutes, so there isn't really time to screw things up on a royal scale, making Grace/Confusion a fine listen.

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