Takka Takka profile picture

Takka Takka

We like the way you draw...us up into outer space

About Me


Gabe grew up in Forest Hills, Queens. Grady in Saginaw, MI. Conrad in Southwestern Ohio and Southern Ontario. Drew in Rhode Island. Rene in Massachusetts.
We met and now play music together.
PURCHASE
Our CD, We Feel Safer At Night, is available for purchase at: insound , iTunes , Other Music , Amp Camp and Cake Shop [Ludlow St, NYC].
Purchase the tour EP featuring live tracks from Takka Takka, Architecture In Helsinki and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Click here . Only a few left!
Our new EP, Talk Faster, is available for purchase on iTunes . There will be a select amount of hard copies available at Insound in the near future.
Join our mailing list!
RECENT PRESS
April 2007, Spin Magazine
"Takka Takka - We Feel Safer At Night / 4 Stars / Self-Released
ATTENTION, DEFLATED INDIE KIDS: THIS BAND'S FOR YOU.
Brooklyn's Takka Takka seem overly casual or even apologetic at first, but there's a sneaky intensity to the minimalist urban rock n' roll on this wonderful debut. Resisting cynicism and self-pity, wry frontman Gabriel Levine sings the way people talk, resembling a nicer Lou Reed as he offers moral support to self-conscious loners who get caught up in society's games, only to "break under pressure." Sample throwaway gem: "You pushed real hard / But you never pushed enough."
- Jon Young, Spin Magazine
February 2007, Time Out New York
"Takka Takka seems preternaturally gifted at conveying prettiness through guitar pop. The band's casual swagger, both on record and stage, suggests an ease at pursuing this difficult task."
February 2007, Spin Magazine
"With aw-shucks organ and conspiratorial, almost spoken-word vocals by Gabriel Levine, this Brooklyn foursome is like a more upbeat Lamchop."
Jan/Feb 2007, Harp Magazine
"[They] catch you with little details like the handclaps, whistling and "oh-ah-ah-oh" refrain on "Coco on the Corner" or offhand rhymes like "Utah" and "you, pa" on "Living Out of Trouble." They're as sweet and hooky as you'd hope that any up-and-coming indie rockers could be."
December 2006, The L Magazine - Top 20 Albums of 2006 (No. 8)
"Takka Takka has made a record that makes us think about Lou Reed, 70s Dylan and late-period Pavement all at the same time, yet still manages to stay current."
December 2006, New York Magazine
"When Takka Takka scored an opening slot with former band-of-the-second Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, rock cognoscenti were alerted to their laid-back organ pop. Together for less than a month, they mesmerized fans at SummerStage, then played to packed shows at the CMJ festival."
December 2006, Rolling Stone magazine (jpeg)
"Unsigned indie-popsters Takka Takka have been a hot property since Clap Your Hands Say Yeah took them on tour this fall."
December 2006: holiday song "Stars and Subway Cars" featured on Stereogum and Spin.com
November 2006, NME Magazine (jpeg)
Takka Takka was named one of the Top artists at this year's CMJ by the NME! "Meanwhile NYCs Takka Takka played shows rammed with a and r folk..."

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 9/7/2005
Band Website: takkatakkamusic.com
Band Members: Gabriel Levine, Conrad Doucette, Grady Jurrens, Rene Planchon, Drew Thurlow
Influences: Musical and non-musical
Sounds Like: music for a world such as this one.
Record Label: Ernest Jenning Recording Co.
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

New Album in Spring 08!

Hi everyone,For the past seven months or so we have been working on a new album. Its been exhausting but very rewarding, and we are now in the home stretch. It should be ready (IE mastered) next month...
Posted by Takka Takka on Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:34:00 PST

South Street Seaport This Friday @ 630pm SHARP!

Hello everyone!Takka Takka will be playing the South Street Seaport tomorrow (Friday)! We go on at 630pm SHARP - these shows start early and try to stick to strict times, so do not be late!We will be ...
Posted by Takka Takka on Thu, 16 Aug 2007 09:52:00 PST

sign the dotted line

Believe it or not, takka takka has signed a record deal. we are very pleased to announce that Takka will now be in cahoots with an awesome independently owned record label from Brooklyn by the name or...
Posted by Takka Takka on Tue, 29 May 2007 07:24:00 PST

taco taco

YUM. Hi. Haven't posted on this in...well...forever. We played a show in the BK last night. Union Hall. Not Onion Hall or United Hall and Oates. Had a blast. Such a great and supportive crowd (thanks!...
Posted by Takka Takka on Sun, 13 May 2007 10:32:00 PST

New EP A-comin'...

Hello all,We've just recorded three new songs with the talented Charles Burst at the Seaside Lounge in Brooklyn. These three songs will form (like transformers) a new EP tentatively titled Talk Faster...
Posted by Takka Takka on Wed, 20 Dec 2006 08:36:00 PST

CMJ, check. Midwest, go!

CMJ was insane. Saw some awesome bands (Changes, Benjy, Elvis, Cube, Cloud). It was good to be out and listening tostuff. I need to do that more. The Changes BLEW me away. Definitely my favorite band ...
Posted by Takka Takka on Thu, 09 Nov 2006 07:49:00 PST

tour done, future starts now

Well damn. We made it. We went out on tour, our first tour. what an amazing experience. took the van through deserts, snow. the van died and was revived. we met all kinds of people. wonderful and weir...
Posted by Takka Takka on Mon, 23 Oct 2006 09:17:00 PST

Hello from... Cleveland

Hello. Takka Takka is four days into our tour with clap your hands say yeah and architecture in helsinki and all is well. CYHSY and AiH have been wonderful chaps. we have been having fun at the shows ...
Posted by Takka Takka on Sun, 01 Oct 2006 03:09:00 PST

Giving you the big L

I sat down and had a few too many beers with The L Magazine's Mike Conklin. Check it out! http://www.thelmagazine.com/4/18/musicology/musicology1.cfm? ctype=2 And grab a free one if you see it...  ...
Posted by Takka Takka on Wed, 13 Sep 2006 09:45:00 PST

Chew on this: Takka on Stereogum!!!

This has been a HUGE week for us at Takka HQ (aka Gabe's apt). Check out Stereogum's post about us and our Inside the Rockers' Studio interveiw and learn things about takka like our favorite words and...
Posted by Takka Takka on Sat, 02 Sep 2006 06:56:00 PST