Remove the first word and you have my impression of their album
Artiste: Cloud Nothings
Nationality: American (Cleveland, OH)
Album: Attack on memory
Year: 2012
Label: Carpark
Genre: Indie Rock/Post-punk?
Tracks:
No future/no past
Wasted days
Fall in
Stay useless
Separation
No sentiment
Our plans
Cut you
Chronological position: Second album
Familiarity: Zero
Interesting factoid: Apparently Cloud Nothings used to be a power-pop band. Don't see it myself I must admit.
Initial impression: Nice opening but the vocals totally suck...
Best track(s): Stay useless, Separation
Worst track(s): Didn't much like any of the other tracks.
Comments: Back in 2012 I either bought this album and never got to listen to it, or, which is more likely, meant to buy it and forgot. Since then it seems Cloud Nothings have become something of darlings of the indie rock scene, with their latest album due out in a few days, so time to see if I can hop on this bandwagon before it leaves town. Where's my giant foam finger? I must admit, the opening track has a very nihilist/punk sound about the title, belied by a beautiful piano intro then some bouncy bass and it seems to be a slow song, whether or not it's a ballad I can't tell yet. Hmm. Don't care much for the off-key vocals which sound like the singer is drunk or spaced. Will this continue? We'll see. Gets faster near the end and the vocals come to life though they get very angry in a definite punk vein. Oh dear.
Wasted days is just short of nine minutes, and on the basis of the opener I'm not really looking forward to that, but it's a faster, more uptempo song with angry guitars and at least vocalist Dylan Baldi is awake now: awake and angry. Still not my thing though, this aggressive, shouty music. Some good guitar work though; song seems overstretched, could have ended in fifth minute rather than running on for what seems to me to be another pointless four. It's not bad, but pretty much more of the same to the end.
Fall in has a military marching beat for a short moment then kicks into life, and it sounds like there's a female voice joining Baldi on the chorus? A darker, chunkier guitar on
Stay useless which is actually quite catchy, while
Separation appears to be the only instrumental. Yep, it is. I must admit, I wasn't expecting an instrumental on an album like this is turning out to be, but this is pretty damn fine. Lots of energy and power, and sounds like the guys just having fun.
Sort of a Sabbath riff, of all things, underpinning
No sentiment, very dark and heavy with a pained, shouted vocal, and the album ends okay, but I see a lot of samey material here and the singing style as I mentioned just isn't my cup of Tetley. A decent album but I doubt I'll be checking out that new one after all. Pity.
Overall impression: Bit disappointing. Too punky for my tastes.
Hum Factor: 4
Intention: Might check their back catalogue, though probably not.