Coming on strong after 2005’s The Loon, Tapes ‘n Tapes newest will get a lot of listens. But with another three years of indie fatigue having built up, the weaknesses in this former Minneapolis college band become more apparent than it’s strengths. Josh Grier’s vocals exist halfway between Modest Mouse and The Postal Service: unfortunately, on Walk It Off, it’s Postal Service without the creative electronics and Modest Mouse without the offbeat edge. Because they’re so similar, if you enjoy both of those bands, Tapes ‘n Tapes will appeal to you by default. But if you’re looking for anything new, however, avoid this CD like a slow music day at Stereogum.

The single, ‘Hang Them All,’ is as energetic as T&Ts first hits, utilizing fast, crisp, and danceable guitar, but they ruin the end with a totally unfitting and repetitive riff. Something of a theme on Walk It Off with the riffs generally digressing and taking away from the vibe rather than improving it. ‘The Dirty Dirty’ sounds cool, with its layered vocals and driving drums while ‘Conquest’ (with its playful beats and vocals) and ‘George Michael’ (with an interesting pairing of energetic guitar with calmer vocals) holds up as well. Those same vocals work much better on more mellow songs, like the lush and lulling ‘Anvil’ (with some simple and subtle electronic accents) and the soft and melodic ‘Time of Songs.’ Walk It Off does offer a few highlights, but it fails to yield a comprehensive sense of T&T’s sound, and blatantly lacks any cohesive progression.

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