Wild Nothing - Nocturne Review
With a heightened focus on live instrumentation this time round, Wild Nothing have managed to sound more modern, more human and more their own.
rating: 4
I didnt go to Reading, or Leeds, this year. I havent woken this morning in a field. No, Ive woken this morning surrounded by empty cans wearing pyjama bottoms and a Converge T Shirt. Most painful of all about my not having gone to Reading, or Leeds, most heartachingly painful of all, is that I didnt see The Cure play a majestic three hour set. Watching them from the comfort of my bed, attired in the aforementioned, on BBC iPlayer is not the same. Hangover breakfast of champions or not; gammon steak and scrambled egg (I like protein) splashed with mustard and red sauce. Chased of course with a coffee and a cigarette. However, by way of compensation I have been gifted with something this week. That something is Wild Nothings sophomore effort Nocturne. How this is compensation will be made clear soon.
Even though Wild Nothing as an entity is only really 3 years young, Im still disappointed Ive come around as late as I have. Though the name sparked recognition when the press release appeared in my email, I didnt have a sound to place to the name. Im pleased to say I certainly do now though. Wild Nothing come in two forms; full touring live band, and studio dwelling one man show. Jack Tatum is the latter and he is joined by Jeff Haley, Nathan Goodman and Michael Skattum to complete the former. Though he may sound like an action hero, Jack Tatum is in fact more of your wistful, romantic dreamer of a male lead and this comes across in his songs. Initially coming to fruition in 2009 with a series of demos and a very well received cover, it was learning of this cover (aside from the music on offer anyhow) that hooked me round to Wild Nothing. Said cover being of Cloudbusting by Kate Bush. I love Kate Bush. In my mind Ive married her a million times. We divorce a lot. Besides being a brilliant cover, its that appreciation for that kind of pop at the very beginning that shows where Wild Nothing is coming from. Tie this in with a quote from the man himself in regards to Nocturne I dont think its going to be a secret to anyone that I care about pop music, but its definitely more my sense of what pop music used to be or even what pop music would be in my ideal world. and you can really understand what this is all about; a young man with a romanticised view of what pop meant when Kate Bush was Queen, and yes The Cures Robert Smith was King, filtered through youth. Resulting in his music not sounding nostalgic or plagiaristic, even though hes exploring similar territory and soundscapes. Fresh ears and a fresh slant allow Wild Nothing to make that brand of his/their own. Having since listened back to debut album Gemini and stopgap EP Golden Haze, its clear to me that on Nocturne the sound is altogether more modern, whilst simultaneously more classic too the influences are proudly worn on Wild Nothings sleeves, but not derivatively. Those influences come now though more in the songwriting itself than the sounds. Gemini whilst being brilliant could sound dated before its time through the instrumentation, Nocturne is a more polished and modern interpretation of that particularly strain of classic pop. http://youtu.be/GnRLPaYXvoU Shadow starts the album in perfectly fitted form, and as my first knowing listen of Wild Nothing it caught me hooked. In its four minutes eighteen seconds it runs a course through The Decemberists at their most ballady but fuelled by The Cures simplicity at their most perfectly pop, add mature orchestration, a vocal that blends Smashing Pumpkins at Billy Corgans most tender with My Bloody Valentine youve got a more mature and crafted Wild Nothing, where even the details can be highlighted (dont get me started on the bassline). Midnight Song catches Belle & Sebastian at their most melancholy, if subdued by Cocteau Twins with a School of Seven Bells production. The title track follows and brings to a life a duel between The Cure and Beach House in a dream off, but theres that something, that Wild Nothing, that makes it sound its own (even though Tatum does do a little bit of a Robert Smith croon), especially in the latter half of the track with refrain upon refrain over a solidly grooving bass and shoegaze haze. http://youtu.be/OriSm8tUgi4 I know Im making a substantial amount of reference points, and if you listened to Wild Nothing you could pick up on the influences, theyre proud of their influences after all, but its hard without listening to understand how Wild Nothing have managed to sound inspired by their influences but in no way copyist or nostalgic. So first and foremost I recommend you actually listen to this album, encouraging of course that you buy it too. Though there is a sound that encapsulates this album there is so much subtle variation within it, like Through The Glass that manages to be a beautifully dazed ballad but feature a pulsing bass synth, a definite groove to the drums and so much haze you could get lost were it not for the signposts of melody that ring through clear and crisp. Only Heather takes an indie disco and turns the dial up to hypnotic bringing to mind the shoegaze of Slowdive and Ride. The Chain Wont Break runs a juxtaposition right through itself seemingly pinching the drum groove from The Big Beat by Billy Squier (famously actually pinched by Dizzee Rascal) and pairing it with a strutting bass, only to layer the top with sparse synths, delicate vocals and a hall full of reverb. This carries through onto Disappear Always with the dance-ability of The Smiths at their most groovy but matching it with the subdued apathy of The Smiths at their most solemn. Plus theres guitar lines that would shred if the tempo was bumped up some. http://youtu.be/cP8wfslr7hY There is something about all the tracks that will grab you, whether its Paradise with its new-romantic funk meets New Order and Tears For Fears and Frankie Goes To Hollywood synth balladeering, Counting Days shufflingly earnest indie pop with a Hong Kong Garden twinkle, The Blue Dress scuttling anxiety paired with reflective romance or the albums curtain fall in the shape of the lost and lonely late night drive of Rheya. The overtly pretentious Press Release started with the statement that if you asked Jack Tatum what Wild Nothing means, he would reply a contradiction. Now, that may or may not be true, however if you ask me what Wild Nothing means, Id say a dream. Those Wild cavalcades of emotion, landscapes, pasts, presents, futures triggered by random signals throughout your brain that ultimately no matter how intense or believable when you wake up will come to Nothing. I am aware of the irony of slagging something off for pretention and then following it up with that. With a heightened focus on live instrumentation this time round, Wild Nothing have managed to sound more modern, more human and more their own. facebook twitter big cartel