Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: abe vigoda, los angeles, no age, sonic youth, sub pop, telepathe, todd p
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.
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.
So I’ve decided to abandon focusing solely on photos as opposed to posting my thoughts and opinions about things simply because it is too hard to come up with interesting photos to post. I can, however, write about all sorts of interesting things. Like the new Deerhunter album!
It was announced a few months back that Deerhunter would be recording a new album, Microcastle, despite rumors of a breakup. And in April, the band performed the album in it’s entirety at a Todd P show in Brooklyn.
Fast forward to the beginning of June, when the album leaks to the internet months ahead of schedule, before any release date had even been set. Many listeners were afraid of what they might hear, not because of the actual songs, but because of the fact that it was such an early leak, which may be indicative of a lower quality or incomplete recording.
I’ve listened to the album and I can say whole heartedly that it is some of the best material I have listened to this year. Microcastle is definitely a step in a different direction than Cryptograms and the excellent Fluorescent Grey EP. But these differences don’t necessarily mean a change in what we should expect. Bradford Cox has essentially shown us what he is capable of, with his solo/side project Atlas Sound. The ambient noises and effects have largely been turned down, but not completely off. What we have now is more of a focus on Deerhunter being a rock band on their record. Fuzzy guitars continue to swirl, but Cox’s voice takes a much larger role. He has said “he was sick of using effects pedals and found himself turning more and more to a clean guitar,” which is definitely noticeable on tracks like “Agoraphobia” and the beginning of the album’s standout track “Never Stops.” Fans of their old sound don’t have to worry for very long into this song however, as Deerhunter’s shoegazing sound burns its way through the gentle pop vocals and guitar.
Overall, this album feels both familiar and completely fresh to someone who has enjoyed, but not fallen in love with, their previous works. I can now say that I’m entirely enamored with Bradford Cox’s talent and his somewhat nonsensical methods. By releasing songs on his blog at a rate that rivals Lil’ Wayne’s mixtape output, he has allowed himself the creative freedom to explore every type of sound, while in the process, collecting the cream of that material to channel through Deerhunter.
Since this is an extremely early leak, I expect certain aspects to change by the release date, but overall the majority of the work can be heard. This is absolutely one album that I expect to not only purchase, but pre-order, once it is available.
