All the World’s a Stage
New Nervous Records
Street: 10.13.12
Book on Tape Worm = Iron & Wine + Owen
This small space is just too short for me to adequately express how good this album is. It really is one of the best I’ve heard come out of Utah for some time. Book on Tape Worm have struck a perfect balance of expressing themselves artistically and considering their audience. Their folksy aesthetic is unique because of its whimsical nature and delicate sound, which is accented nicely by cello and bells. The storybook-esque lyrics are gently sung in beautiful harmonies. Each song gracefully blends with the previous to form the concept album’s four acts. The physical CD case is as well-crafted and unique as the music: It resembles an antique hardbound book and includes a few pop-outs of the band playing on different sets. The album’s final song, “Pianocide”(one of the standout tracks), ends with a slowly fading piano note that leads into about twenty seconds of silence—hardly enough time to allow this wonderful collection of songs to fully sink in.