Cleveland's Cloud Nothings are back exactly one year after their Carpark debut with Attack on Memory. You'll hear a lot about this record being a reinvention of their sound, but really it's not so much a reinvention as it is a maturation expedited by a year of constant touring. Youngster Dylan Baldi is the driving force behind Cloud Nothings, and his evolution as a songwriter from indelible 3 minute pop songs to the more expansive and aggressive sound on this record is undeniably exciting.
Even with 8-minute-long jams that have Dylan shredding his voice over a track that sounds like Oneida playing a Television song (Wasted Days), and instrumental heavy slabs (Separation), Baldi still can't help but write instantly catchy songs that would require a surgeon to get out of your head (Stay Useless, Fall In). It's the combination of Baldi's insouciant ability to write memorable hooks, along with his new found experimental urges, that make Cloud Nothings one of the most electrifying young bands around.
Recommended If You Like:
Wipers, Sebadoh, Chavez, Archers of Loaf.
Looks Like:
your nephew who you haven't seen in a year. It seems like he suddenly grew a foot, and now has a deep voice.
Feels Like:
losing your balance slipping on ice, but not falling down.
Smells Like:
clean winter air.
Listen to when:
you need a 34 minute catharsis break.
Vinyl the Cat says:
I'm older than this damn kid, and he's got so much talent that it makes me sick!
Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless
Cloud Nothings - Separation |
