|
$10.99 CD
$14.99 LP
$9.99 MP3
|
|
WILD NOTHING
Gemini
(Captured Tracks)
"O, Lilac"
"Summer Holiday"
Like the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Wild Nothing wistfully refashion the sonic textures of the 1980s for their own purposes -- lovingly and painstakingly recreating the chirpy reverb of Johnny Marr's guitar, the Phil Collins-trademarked gunshot snare drum sound, and that Christmas-y synthesizer bleat that serves as a cue for the heartwarming moments of most John Hughes movies. But unlike the Pains, who unabashedly wear their influences on their sleeves, the Nothing's Jack Tatum uses the templates of the eighties as a foundation, not a finish line -- the result is a sound at once familiar but remarkably fresh and innovative, and a pleasant hi-fi surprise from Captured Tracks, a label better known for widely distributing tape hiss.
The excellent album opener, "Lived in Dreams," plops you smack in the middle of happy-sad night at your local bar, but perhaps the best starting point is the second track, "Summer Holiday," a four-minute celebration of teenage energy and joy, whose ringing hooks are so intoxicating that the song almost threatens to overpower the rest of the album. The other standout, "Bored Games," sounds like a "Temptation" remix, with its "dance to me!" electronic drums, and the chiming guitar accents that lurk around every corner.
As a label, Captured Tracks can be pigeonholed for its raw aesthetic and sandblasted surface sound. But with Wild Nothing, the label has found an act that maintains the lo-fi sensibility of the label, but with a shinier, more expansive palette. Nothing about Tatum's music is small, but no detail is overlooked either. From the title of penultimate track "Our Composition Book," to the just-right reverb on the guitar, and that bass line that seems to be on poppers, Gemini plays like an extended love letter to the entire Slumberland catalog and the many '80s bands who pioneered those sounds, but none of it sounds played out either. [MS]
Order CD by Texting "omcdwildgemini" to 767825
Order LP by Texting "omlpwildgemini" to 767825
PLEASE NOTE: The LP is a limited-pressed, silk-screened, hand-numbered version with clear vinyl. Available to ship at the end of this week.
|
|