TEMPO NO TEMPO Repetition EP
Double Negative Records; 2007
On their second EP, Repetition, Tempo No Tempo deliver five neatly layered songs that feature well-balanced arrangements of keyboards, guitar, and bass all weaving and darting melodically over party jam disco drum beats. This second disc continues their trajectory of Television- and Wire-influenced intelligent punk rock songs that open up into crowd pleasing pop melodies.
The record's second track, "Irregular Heartbeats," is my immediate favorite and the one to reach for when making your next party mix. This song shows Tempo No Tempo's song writing strength and their ecstatic, bounding energy. The driving bassline has a panicky feel to it, twisting and stuttering all the way to the chorus, while the guitar makes chopped up, eerie echoing sounds, and the keyboard does an impersonation of those beep-beep heart monitors they use in hospitals. The shimmering drum beat is probably what drew me to the song immediately. It keeps up the frantic feeling, pushing the song forward while Tyler McCauley bemoans the shifting passions of someone he's not yet ready to give up on: "The things you said/the things you meant/never did go quite hand in hand."
A cool thing about the way they've arranged their songs on Repetition is the balance between instruments. The bass and keyboard take turns carrying the melodies, leaving the guitar free to generate walls of distortion, scraping noises, and colorful notes that deteriorate and fall away. On the title track, meanwhile, the guitar locks in with the drummer as if he's playing another percussion instrument, and the syncopated piano chords that chop through the verse make a sound a lot like some of Spoon's latest stuff.
Tempo No Tempo's musical range, though not really on par with the band of their namesake, does move nicely from the post-punk party jams reminiscent of bands like Bloc Party to the noisy, squalling feedback in their song "Narrowed Scopes and Sharpened Knives." Repetition ends with two quieter tracks where the melodies take center stage. The song "Headlights" focuses on the voice, with Chris Cardena's forlorn – almost twee – vocals reminding me of Ben Folds. Although that sweet charm begins to turn a bit too sassy for me, the band drives the intensity to a crescendo and the record fades out on long sustained synth tones.
This EP probably could have been a massively powerful three song single. It finds Tempo No Tempo making high-concept pop music that has enough whallop to make dance floors bounce.
On their second EP, Repetition,