Album Review: Wild Nothing ‘Nocturne’
Back in college, I took a class on Bob Marley that was really more of a socioeconomic look into the world of Jamaican culture. As the class went on, a major focus shifted to Bob’s song “Rat Race” and it’s broader meaning on a macro scale. The imagery certainly fits for any culture, as really, what are we each doing every single day besides running around the maze of life ever searching for some cheddar – or in a more literal sense, happiness and bliss. Music, well at least the albums I consider my favorites, have always provided a way to remove my soul from the maze that is life, allowing me to sit above and think about the journey, gain some clarity, and then re-enter to chase endlessly once again. A few albums every year gain a place on the mantle of my sanity, and they tend to remain permanent residents. I listen to a lot of albums once, but I find that I don’t often listen to the same over and over again. But the ones I do…now those are the special ones…the select few that truly matter.
Jack Tatum is Wild Nothing. Wild Nothing is Jack Tatum. Meet and greet because you are likely to stay awhile. Coming about two years after Gemini, the band’s sophomore LP Nocturne represents, according to Jack in a fantastic interview with Stereogum, his first album in which he wrote music for an audience other than just himself. And I must say, personally, that this is one of my favorite collection of songs that I’ve ever put my ears to. And while I loved Gemini, this album represents a whole new appreciation for the man behind the music.
And when I say the man behind the music, I mean that in the most literal sense, because Tatum writes and plays all of the music on the album besides the drums. No song shows this off more than the infectous “Shadow”, a thought provoking track that strikes just the right mix of strings, acoustic guitar, and vocals. While all of Wild Nothing’s songs can take on a “chill vibe”, this one stands out amongst his previous work as being able to pull the listener in rather than allowing you to sink into the surrounding atmosphere. The acoustic guitar drives the moment home, giving this song a true semblance of completeness. The second track, “Midnight Song”, harnesses the spirit of Gemini with some relaxing guitar and an ending jam that shows the effect that performing live has had on Tatum’s music. If this track were on his previous album, it would have stayed as a guitar solo closing rather than bringing multiple parts together for a jam session at the end.
The album’s namesake follows with what is perhaps the best song on this LP. It fits into the overlapping themes of this album, namely the darker side of our interaction with others. With a verse that says, “And I’m twisted / what can I say / your days are empty / and my tongue’s decayed / and we still / just don’t tempt me / one more night of your company” followed by “I know where to find you / I know where you go. / And I just want to let you know / You can have me / You can have me whole” you have a song that sounds borderline stalkerish in all the best ways.
Breaking into the middle of the album are “Through the Grass” and “Only Heather”, which feature the aforementioned atmospheric vibes of the first album. “This Chain Won’t Break” represents another song where Jack has obviously harnessed the live atmosphere as you can almost see this song playing in front of you. That point really can’t be overstated…the difference between writing your first album in your bedroom for yourself and your second for not only you, but others. There’s a certain give and take that must exist, which is what I see being the biggest difference between these two albums. When you are writing music with your fans in mind, you know they are expecting something, and only a performer can truly understand what that is.
Into the last half of the album, “Paradise” and “Counting Days” stand out amongst the crowd. In speaking of the first, it’s an ethereal, dreamlike song of hope. Like the rest of the album and Tatum’s work in general, it shys away from being over the top and instead focuses on a holistic sense of being. On “Counting Days” Tatum’s vocals open up to the forefront of the music, leading the listener on a love affair as he proclaims amongst catchy guitar riffs, “You want to make spin / You want to hold me in”.
In all, Nocturne is what you want a second album to be from an emerging artist. It’s sincere, honest music from his soul that shows growth for the sake of performance and not for the sake of simply change. When I first saw Wild Nothing perform during the tour of the first album, I kept thinking during the show that something was missing. And after listening to this album, I believe I’ve put my finger on it. While Gemini was simply a collection of songs for Jack, Nocturne is one we can share with him. And that makes all the difference between great and memorable. Nocturne is available via your favorite record store or iTunes now via Captured Tracks. Stream the album in its entirety below.
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Written by Greg Dahman
Vintage Track: Binder Quintet ft. John Tchicai “Vasvirag”
The Binder Quintet was a Hungarian jazz ensemble whose lone celebrated work came in the pressing of their 1983 radio broadcast with alto saxophonist John Tchicai. The group’s style blended native folk influences with American free jazz of the late 1950s. Their recording of “Vasvirag” has been included in Volume 3 of the Spiritual Jazz series on London’s Jazzman Records. According to a suspect online translator vasvirag is Hungarian for “old maid.” However, there is nothing stale or outdated about the play of the musicians at hand.
Discogs credits Károly Friedrich and Mihály Dresch with the dueling, dissonant harmonicas heard at the outset of the song. Their play recedes to make way for a driving undertone on upright bass and piano. Overhead Tchicai inserts broken, muffled notes on alto sax, at times taking on an animalistic tone. His play creates a visceral tension in the music that is only heightened by the primal howl and guttural growl featured in the background of the song’s latter half. Spiritual Jazz 3 is set for release on CD and vinyl on September 3.
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Written by Rob Peoni
Album Review: TEEN ‘In Limbo’
Upon hearing of Brooklyn’s TEEN, you will likely be fed a shallow narrative that unfolds something like this: Rock chick leaves successful up-and-coming band. Rock-chick joins up with sisters and friends to form all-girl electro pop group. Look at them now. Aren’t they cute? (For evidence, see our Band to Watch post)
While this storyline is an accurate assessment of how Kristina “Teeny” Lieberson’s new project TEEN came to be, it fails to do their debut LP In Limbo justice. The album kicks off with “Better.” A song whose girl-power infused hook could be easily substituted for the shitty rendition of Irving Berlin’s “Anything You Can Do” from that old Mia Hamm vs. Michael Jordan Gatorade commercial. Yet, set against the backdrop of intricately woven synth and vocal lines and a foot stomping rhythm section, the chorus proves more irresistible than trite.
Follow-up “Come Back” is my favorite cut from the LP. The song turns the traditional narrative of the desperate female on its head. Here, Teeny spends the chorus begging for the return of a lost love. In the verses, though, we learn that her loneliness comes as the result of loving and leaving too many half-forgotten names on the road to now. Her regret stems not from whether she may one day find love, but rather the thought that she may have already cast it aside. A familiar storyline from your male rock n’ roller, but rarely one told from the female perspective.
Rather than present their brand of girl-pop in concise, pre-packaged three-minute infomercials, TEEN has chosen to challenge its audience. Seven of In Limbo’s 11 tracks stretch beyond five minutes. The band’s attempt to break down and re-purpose the traditional notion of a pop song is an admirable one, but testing the limits of listeners’ ever-shrinking attention spans proves a dangerous decision on a debut.
The B-side of In Limbo occasionally loses its focus, dissolving into trippy meditations. Even those moments manage to hit their mark on tracks like “Sleep is Noise” and “Fire“. The good news is that the few songs that fell flat for me on the album, I found captivating in the stripped down space of TEEN’s Secret Garden video session. Typically the reverse is true, a successful cut off the LP proves completely dysfunctional in a live setting. It’s an encouraging trait for a new band in an era in which live gigs provide the meat and potatoes and album sales increasingly cover dessert.
With a four-track EP and a fascinating mix tape of covers under their belt, TEEN is a band that appears road-ready from Jump Street. These girls have achieved an astonishing amount of depth both sonically and lyrically on In Limbo. This is achieved largely through a masterful layering of vocal arrangements and a relentless willingness to explore. Grab your copy of In Limbo from Carpark Records. Stream it in its entirety below.
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Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 