- Mon, 2010-09-27 10:55
With ‘lo-fi’, ‘DIY’ and ‘fuzz-pop’ some of the most prevalent catchwords for guitar music in 2010, No Age are in the fortunate position of having the spotlight fall upon them without their having to court it. Everything In Between follows in the footsteps of debut album Nouns (2007’s Weirdo Rippers was an assortment of singles/EPs), evincing a love for bands like My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth and Yo La Tengo. But far from being just another band raiding and recycling the work of their forebears, Everything In Between sees Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt create a singular and engrossing sonic landscape.
Throughout its forty minutes, Everything In Between creates a mood of hazy soft-focus, as if we’re gazing at something on the horizon through the shimmering air of a baking hot day. It’s a feeling that is born of the fuzzy, rough-around-the-edges guitar sound (not dissimilar to that of Japandroids) that dominates the album. Added to this is the unfussy simplicity of the vocals, which largely sit low in the mix in a way that distances them from the listener even as they reach out to towards us. The key to the band’s sound, however, is the genius with which they add layers of gestural noise, be it through clever in-studio manipulation of the guitar’s sound or straight-forward use of feedback.
This technique is applied across the album to create a variety of different moods, from the rambunctious, sun-bleached punk-rock of Fever Dreaming, Depletion and Shred & Transcend, to nostalgic jangle-pop of Valley Hump Crash and Chem Trails via the sombre self-reflection of Common Heat and the trio of atmospheric instrumentals; Katerpiller, Dusted and Positive Amputation. Most striking of all are Glitter and Skinned, the former buffeted by squalls of noise, the latter’s drunken limp interrupted by blasts of sonic collage before it finds its feet and lurches towards its triumphant end.
Everything In Between’s blend of raw noise and simple melody comes together to create an evocative tapestry that equals more than the sum of its parts. By pairing lo-fi sonics with highly nuanced composition No Age manage to make a complex set of songs sound effortlessly expressive.
