celebrate the body electric

So I figure now is a good time as any to get a No Age post in here. I was recently reading through a copy of AM New York, a free newspaper distributed all over the city and in between articles about the latest celebrity gossip and the sports scores, I came across a full page spread on No Age. They are playing a free show at the South Street Seaport on Friday with Abe Vigoda from LA, another one of my favorite new bands, and Telepathe from Brooklyn.

The article didn’t give me any new insight into what the band has been up to lately, nor what their future plans hold, but it got me thinking about the group as a whole and their rise to success over the last few months. While I had been anticipating their Sub Pop debut, Nouns, for a while, I never would have thought that the album would still be in my daily rotation today, more than two months after its release. The songs may not immediately catch your attention, nor will the long intros and endings consisting of distorted effects loops and noises attract the casual listener, but once you’ve listened to the album for the fourth or fifth time, you begin to get it.

And maybe, because of my appreciation for the music, I’ve been so excited to see the success the band is having. The band has been featured in various magazine photo shoots and covers, had their first video premiere on an MTV show hosted by Pete Wentz, everyone’s favorite emo-celeb, and have been headlining tours all over the country. It would be easy to say that the band has been “selling out,” but to use another cliche, maybe more and more people are “buying in.” There is nothing wrong with a band finding success and despite the oddity of finding them featured in a relatively mainstream spotlight, I can’t help but think how cool it is that “alternative culture” is being brought to the front lines. I don’t subscribe to the idea of exclusivity and preserving the underground nature of anything. While it’s nice having things to yourself, wouldn’t you want to share with others? I find that to be so much more satisfying.

Anyway, back to No Age the band. Rumor has it that in addition to the free show on Friday, they will also be playing at Todd P’s gigantic mid-summer show extravaganza. Go see them. It’ll be worth your time. If you are at all a fan of Sonic Youth’s signature distortion, or the punk rock aesthetic of countless Brooklyn-based bands right now, I promise you’ll have a good time.

No Age- Sleeper Hold

EDIT: Again, for some reason, I think it’s kinda cool that No Age has reached the people. Including dudes in Montauk wearing No Age tee shirts at the train station.