Wait, what??? The Ramones first album just turned 50! A record made by four young men from the Forest Hills neighborhood in Queens, NY, has gone on to be one of the greatest punk rock records of all-time. Ramones was produced by Craig Leon [Tape Op#151], engineered by Rob Freeman, and recorded at Plaza Sound Studios in New York City over the course of a week for about $6400. It is a top to bottom barn-burner with short, catchy songs that are raucous...

Linda Perry’s last solo album came out in 1999. In the 27 years since then she has become one of the most successful producers for other artists, writing and recording hits for P!NK, Christina Aguilera, and more [Tape Op #143]. This album marks a return to the mic for Perry and a coming home to herself. The 17 songs on Let it Die Here are a cathartic reckoning with mortality, grief, and identity. In the 2024 documentary feature film (also...

We interviewed engineer/producer/artist Maryam Qudus about her Spacemoth project back in Tape Op#148. Spacemoth has a new LP that is releasing on June 26, but in the meantime you can check out these two new tracks, “Internet Fantasy” and “Do We Exist,” and the fun videos accompanying them. 

We reached out to Maryam to find out more about upcoming album, and this is what she had to say:

“My new album Inward Eye started at Best House – the...

Tape Op publisher John Baccigaluppi came across this beautifully shot, long-form video of Harry Styles live in session at Berlin's Funkhaus studio. Performing orchestral versions of songs from his latest release, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, Harry Styles, along with a string section and a band that includes Kid Harpoon [Tape Op#172], Nils Frahm [#126], and drummer Tom Skinner (The Smile), delivers a compelling set of beautifully...

By Mitchell Sigman's own description: "Memory Banks is an all-original love letter celebrating the futuristic musical visions of ELO, Kraftwerk, The Alan Parsons Project, et al. No AI, no Suno, no loops." Yeah, there was a time where some music, especially stuff made by people using synths and looking to push the boundaries music creation, felt like it was a glimpse into the future. To my 16 year old ears back then, ELO's [Jeff...

Although the opening moments of The Black Keys' (Dan Auerbach [Tape Op#127] and Patrick Carney [#136]) new release, Peaches!, sounds like a Tinariwen record, it quickly settles in to a familiar, loose, bluesy, and reverb-soaked groove, and doesn't relent for the album's ten tracks. The influence of Hill Country blues masters Junior Kimborough and R.L. Burnside are evident throughout the hypnotic stomps of "Stop Arguing Over...

I went to college, but not for music, recording, or even writing and editing. I obtained a degree in Communications, with an emphasis on Visual, plus a minor in Art with an emphasis on Studio. This meant most of my studies were in film, filmmaking, photography, graphic design, sculpture, ceramics, illustration, painting, and such. Photography was fun, and I was able to borrow an old Olympus 35 mm camera with a fixed wide-angle lens that my dad...

Visit this recent Reddit thread to follow an interesting conversation about YouTube recording influencers and Tape Op shout out. OMG. Larry has written a LOT of gear reviews over the years, by the way. Visit us on YouTube for plenty of actual information and good times.

I went to see I'm With Her [Podcast Ep. #106] at The Moore theater here in Seattle on their 2025 tour, and it was among the best performances I have seen in years. The trio of Sarah Jarosz [Tape Op#140], Aoife O'Donovan [#166], and Sara Watkins write well-crafted songs, sing flawless harmonies, and are all incredible instrumentalists. The performance felt like a celebration of music and community, and their on-stage chemistry is infectious....

I interviewed Steve Gunn in 2023 for Episode #80 of the Tape Op Podcast after coming across his 2019 album, The Unseen in Between. His 2025 release, Daylight, Daylight, was one of my favorite albums from last year, and is still in constant rotation. Gunn's new four song EP, Shape of a Wave, is a bit of a tease, but a welcome one. It opens with a new song, "Shape of a Wave," a mellow bossa nova-tinged track, complete with pastoral...

Weezer is back with a new album coming soon and they have released the single, “Shine Again,” which was produced by Kenny Blume and Klas Åhlund at Kenny’s Putnam Hill studio in L.A. The song was tracked to tape and it rocks!

Previously known as Kenny Beats, Mr. Blume produced last years Getting Killed by Geese as well as the last two IDLES [Podcast Ep.#98] LPs.

I had a chance to stop by Kenny’s studio a few months ago while he was tracking the Weezer...

As a studio owner in Austin, I used to cash in on the SXSW (South By Southwest) music festival and conferences. Creative-use spaces in close proximity to the festival were at a serious premium, and for a few years in the 2010s I could make six months' rent in two weeks. It meant dealing with corporate money types and an often insufferable culture of cool that accompanies these events, but I had fun and met some great people in the process. But...