There were just 2 singles in 2000-2001 and then a wait - Tacoma Radar were never in much of a hurry - until 2004 for the No One Waved Goodbye album.
Songs like Falling Dead Stars and Who's Gonna Hold The Line capture the outsider's alienation and mystique. Vocals are half-whispered, murmured guitars rise into loud surges before burrowing home again.
Maybe if they were American they'd have been part of the slowcore scene and there'd be a deluxe reissue. What was it they said? Loneliness Comes Without A Sound.
Tacoma Radar had a low profile. They were on Andmoresound, who didn't put a foot wrong. Labelmates Camera Obscura's first two singles were (wrongly) either ignored or dismissed as a band for Belle and Sebastian fans who thought Belle and Sebastian weren't indie enough any more.
Mac Meda's cut'n'paste sonic adventures over 2 singles got a bit more attention. Rightly so, because they were ace. Andmoresound was quite a label. Nothing fitted together - there was no label sound, just a mark of high quality. I wish they'd found more bands.
If you haven't found Tacoma Radar before, you're in for a treat. No One Waved Goodbye is a lost classic.
Agreed! The album is a gem! I wish I had more Tacoma Radar to listen to!
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, congratulations for owning this on vinyl. I have to ask; where did you find it?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I want to upload this version to discogs. Would you mind telling me which songs are on which sides of the LP? Thanks!
The track listing is the same order as the CD - the first song on side 2 is Left Unsaid. I bought it when it came out, I think from Selectadisc on Berwick St, but possibly Rough Trade in Notting HIll.
DeleteI found this CD rifling through my local college radio station's CD collection. I don't think I would have stumbled into this amazing album any other way, I'm immensely glad I did.
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing about this, Ben. Really appreciate your kind words about the album. And congrats on your blog, it's a great read.
ReplyDeleteI´m listening to their album right now and I think it´s really great. Sad they didn´t make more records.
ReplyDeleteloved seeing this, they deserved so much more than they got. although, it seems in recent theyve been seeing a little more attention then they have in a while, so who knows.
ReplyDelete