January 22, 2012

Staff Pick

Every so often here at Repo we like to pick one record that we can all agree on as being the one thing we can't stop listening to. The one we pick today is....

Cloud Nothings - Attack On Memory
(Car Park Records)



What singer Dylan Baldi had to say on his hopes for this record "I just hope that they realize that they’re not able to pigeonhole us necessarily to a certain genre. We’re a band that has our own aesthetic rather than a band that ascribes to maybe trends or something that people might have thought we did based on our last couple of records."
Well, he got it. This doesn't sound like 2011's self titled release with it's spazzy pop punk-ness. With Attack on Memories opener "No Future/No past" Cloud Nothings make the statement that this might be a different record. With it's decidedly darker tone and post-rock structure the sound of those lo-fi recordings from Turned On are blown outta the water.
The second track is the much talked about "Wasted Days". The song clocks in at just under the nine minute mark and really leaves a statement. It starts off with a heavy enough tune, going on without a clue of what's to come. Then the song shifts gears and... it just becomes a monster. Building for five minutes until the song explodes back into the chorus. I love it.
The record has a sound that is constantly reminding you of something. You wanna say Drive Like Jehu or you wanna say Fugazi but nothing really hits it right on the mark. This album works best when they let themselves get a little heavy and explore the range they can create in a song. You just get sucked into some of them. Oddly enough, the the few poppier songs on the album seem out of place, like they were written at a different time.
Attack On Memories lets us know that CN is still evolving, still finding new creative outlets and that we should be on the look out for what's in store.



1 comment:

lo_fi19107 said...

Awesome pick. I've listened to this album through 23 times - no joke. Amazing transition from past efforts and just as pleasing to me.