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Showing posts with label Cloud Nothings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cloud Nothings. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
PLAYLIST: Angry Breakup Jams
So the opening track off of Cloud Nothings' excellent new LP Attack on Memory has got us thinking... What are some great angry break-up songs? Well, check out "No Future/No Past" and others below and stream the playlist above.
1.) "No Future/No Past" - Cloud Nothings (Attack on Memory)
Dylan Baldi is angry as this guitar tweaker builds into it's euphoric ending.
2.) "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" - Radiohead (In Rainbows)
So what if it was just a first date. If Thom Yorke is angry you fucked up.
3.) "Post Break Up Sex" - The Vaccines (What Did You Expect From the Vaccines?)
More lighthearted, but it fits.
4.) "Somebody That I Used to Know" - Gotye (Making Mirrors)
Ashton might use this to get over Demi.
5.) "Little Black Submarines" - The Black Keys (El Camino)
"a broken heart is blind."
6.) "Our Riotous Defects" - of Montreal (False Priest)
Who the fuck kills a beta fish?
7.) 'Tribulations" - LCD Soundsystem (LCD Soundsystem)
Get over it bitch.
8.) "Cheerleader" - St. Vincent (Strange Mercy)
For the ladies.
9.) "Next Girl" - The Black Keys (Brothers)
Multiple TBK songs would fit on this list.
10.) "The Rat" - The Walkmen (Bows + Arrows)
You rat.
11.) "MoneyGrabber" - Fitz & the Tantrums (Pickin' Up the Pieces)
Funky anger.
12.) "Rearviewmirror" - Pearl Jam (Vs.)
The most intense song on this list probably.
13.) "Vomit" - Girls (Father, Son, Holy Ghost)
http://bible.cc/proverbs/26-11.htm
14.) "Take It Or Leave It" - The Strokes (Is This It)
When the Strokes were innocent and Julian was still vulnerable.
15.) "Girls Like You" - The Naked and Famous (Passive Me, Aggressive You)
Lovely back and forth. Both for the ladies and the gents.
Monday, January 23, 2012
SONG OF THE DAY: Cloud Nothings - "Wasted Days"
Guitars might be the greatest invention ever. Like ever ever. That and headphones/speakers to listen to people play guitars out of. "Wasted Days" is the longest and most epic (I hate that word but it fits here) track from Cloud Nothings excellent new LP Attack on Memory (Out tomorrow 1/24). Not only are the guitars staggering on this song, but the anger in which they are played makes them exponentially better. There is an anger on this entire album that seems to come to a head during this particular track. While the opening is fast paced and rolls around the lyrics, the middle is consumed by a slower paced jam that builds and builds. The guitars revolve around each other like two pit bulls circling and waiting to strike at each other's necks. At nearly nine minutes long, this is a song that could seemingly convey multiple musical stylings yet it evokes essentially one: angry guitar slaying. As the chaos that is the core jam rises, you as the listener sense that something crazy is bound to happen. The song delays this for nearly as long as it possibly can and then even teases you with a minor little bridge. Not until there is just around fifty seconds left does it finally break, but when it does you can just imagine being at a concert and witnessing the bedlam it would be. Listen to this song on loud. And be angry. Because it will just make it that much better.
Friday, January 13, 2012
REVIEW: Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
Grade: 93% (A)
Something has happened in the last year to Cloud Nothings frontman Dylan Baldi. Maybe the whiplash from LeBron's "Decision" has finally caught up to the Clevelander. The lyrics from his newest effort may lead to one thinking he went through a break up. Either way, the twenty year old is angry and nasty on the band's newest release Attack on Memory. He even considered changing the band's name in wake of the change in sound.
This change is evident only ten seconds into the new record. The dark opener "No Future/No Past" builds into a euphoric screaming, a way of letting Baldi's emotions out. It's both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. The guitar slaying and vexation doesn't stop there. The second track "Wasted Days" picks the tempo up but keeps the woeful theme. While it may seem as though it has a pop edge to it, wait till you meet the three minute mark, where it breaks down into one of the best guitar frenzies I've ever heard. Baldi and Co. truly know how to discharge their emotions using their instruments. It swells with a flowing tempo, and the guitars are flailing around you like a bunch of Death Eaters in their black smoke, seen for one second and then disappeared the next. As it moves forward you sense a climax is near, but can't put your finger on what it will bring; merriment or more frustration. Seconds before it breaks, it becomes clear: the band is not ready to move on as they calm things down only to crack right into the chorus they chanted prior to the jam.
Henceforth the band retains some of the pop elements that their debut held. "Fall In" and "Stay Useless" are both solid guitar led lighter tracks. Nevertheless, Baldi sings with an irritated twinge in his voice during the verses of the former. "Stay Useless" features the cutest guitar work on the album and Baldi uses the chorus to create a possible hit amongst those who might not understand the darkness of the rest of the record. Even so, his lyrics are still no ray of sunshine.
The record is only eight tracks long but is easily longer than their self-titled which came in at only 28 minutes over eleven tracks. This is mainly due to the fact that the guitar work on this record is top notch, not only compared to their previous release, but to other albums in general. The songs don't exude the rangy guitar solos you see with most musicians. Instead, their guitar work is all over the fretboard and at breakneck speeds. They go from power chords to quick solo pops back and forth at impressive rates. As previously stated, they use their guitars more than lyrics to show their exasperation. This is best shown on the instrumental track "Separation," who's title works well to show the difference between the third and fourth tracks and the final three.
Where the band goes from here is most interesting. At such a young age, Baldi has already gone from one pole to the other while still covering some solid ground in between. As he says, this album is more of an "experience" than the first and is clearly the better of the two, However, if they can bridge the gap and include more tracks with pop elements to compliment the darkness of the others, they could truly break through onto the scene as more than just a group of angry kids with guitars. Does that mean I want them to? No, because to me their music is perfect just the way it is right now; young and pissed off. They can do whatever they want from here and have proven they have no issue with doing that.
Friday, December 16, 2011
REVIEW: Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings
Grade: 83% (B)
The opening track off of Cloud Nothing's self-titled debut is almost annoying in a way. "Understand At All" starts with a quick witted guitar riff shortly followed by the rest of the band. Then the singing starts, and the nasally high voice gets going and you feel like sneezing to get all of this out of your head. Even so, there is still something appealing about the song in the end. It is swift and smooth all while being unmistakably catchy at the same time. By the third time you listen, you'll even be singing along to the adolescent chorus.
By the time the first track flows into the second, you don't even realize it. However, once the new verses jump in, you get the direction that the record is headed in; Eleven songs that are short, sweet, and to the point. That point generally being surrounded by teenage angst and emotions. Even with all of this figured out, the band still surprises you at points. Take the little off-shoot at the end of the second track for example. It comes out of no where and gives you a little smack on the face for being so ridiculously gullible to believe they would end the song without it.
While it holds the elements of your typical startup indie rock band's self-titled debut, Cloud Nothings has a lot of endearing aspects to it. Even though the lyrics are clearly boyish, they are still shaped in a way that is atypical of teenage ideals. Their lyrics are someway in between direct and shady, taking the alternate route around that dilemma which sometimes faces song writers. They are also intelligently formulated. They give off double meanings, and you can truly get a sense of the heartache behind some of the lines. On "Forget You All the Time," Dylan Baldi says exactly that when he sings, "i'm alright, i just forget you all the time." While that seems straightforward enough, when he delivers it with the change in guitar patterns, something else is clearly there to be pondered. Does he truly forget her, or is he telling himself that he does? Just the little hesitation in his voice makes you consider this and he skillfully does this throughout the record.
The album seems to be chalk-full of examples of the narrator falsely convincing himself of things he knows deep down are not true. The song titles are a dead give away of this. Songs like "Not Important," "Nothing's Wrong," and "You're Not That Good at Anything" are self-explanatory in this respect. These two-minute plus songs are carefully padded by the less than two minute thumpers "Heartbeat" and "Rock."
While the lyrics and song length are the first thing that jump out, hidden beneath all of that is also some impressive guitar work and song structure. The quick pauses help highlight the more important lyrical moments and the way certain songs seemingly end quickly, only with their drum beat to be picked up seconds later by the next is an intriguing take on album flow.
Even though there isn't that much to praise song to song, there is one point that I find most admirable from this album. The fact that the band is able to fit 11 distinct songs into 28 minutes and leave you with a lasting impression about the overall mood behind the album and humming some cunning hooks is, in the words of Darth Vader, most impressive. That being said, if they can step up some of the spotty parts of their arrangements and mature a little with their lyrics, this could definitely be a band to watch out for in the future. And with a new, seemingly different, album on the way, they could be successful with their second album, much like Girls did with their follow-up.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
REVIEW: Cloud Nothings - "No Future/No Past"
Grade: 85% (B)
Cloud Nothings will return with their second LP in a year on January 24th with Attack on Memory. The first bit off the follow-up to their eponymous debut is the track "No Future/No Past." In contrast to the poppy upbeat sounds of the first album, "No Future/No Past" starts with slow rhythms led by the drums and the simply-put downer vocals. With some guitar riffage seemingly screwing around in the background, the song builds and the vocals increase in both volume and intensity until an explosion of slamming drums and power chords and the title being screamed into the microphone. It's very interesting to see where a band can go in a year. This song, which is longer than another from their debut by more than a minute, could give us a glimpse of the maturity of the band after a year of touring and promoting.
Friday, October 28, 2011
SONG OF THE DAY: Cloud Nothings - "Should Have"
With the announcement of their newest LP Attack on Memory to be released on January 24th, we decided we would showcase a great track from Cloud Nothings' debut self-titled record.
With a quiet guitar opening into the driving bass-line, "Should Have," showcases Cloud Nothing's ability both instrumentally and lyrically. Guitar riffs rip through the song almost equivalent to Dylan Baldi's vocals. Ever affected, Baldi's lyrics tear at some of the core values of what seems like his own teenage relationship back home in Cleveland, Ohio. Both the power chords and slight high guitar soloing during the chorus will catch your attention alongside the well placed cymbal crashes. One of the longest songs on the album, it is seemingly over in a flash as it is pedal to the floor throughout up until the very last strum.
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Cloud Nothings' newest LP Attack on Memory comes out January 24th and you can see the preview video and tracklisting here.
NEWS: Cloud Nothings to Release New Album "Attack on Memory"
Cloud Nothings is having a quick turnaround. The band will release it's second LP Attack on Memory on January 24th, 2012, just over a year after their debut self-titled release. Check out the tracklist for the album and a jam infused dirt road video teaser below via Pitchfork.
Tracklist:
01 No Future/No Past
02 Wasted Days
03 Fall In
04 Stay Useless
05 Separation
06 No Sentiment
07 Our Plans
08 Cut You
02 Wasted Days
03 Fall In
04 Stay Useless
05 Separation
06 No Sentiment
07 Our Plans
08 Cut You
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