No Age
Everything in Between
Sub Pop / Tuba!

The No Age twosome made their smashing, energetic debut for Sub Pop with their second album Nouns some two years ago. Trashy bubblegum punk-pop with a grin. Last year's Losing Feeling EP didn't quite hit me as Nouns. So, now what? It's still buzzing and howling. Under the influence of heat?

I really like the duo outfit, Dean Spunt on drums/vocals and guitarist Randy Randall (both of them dealing with samples and special fx). The duo format aren't really common in the world of rock. I also like their attitude, dealing with scruffy, fuzzy art-punk. Not without a melodic sense, but also keeping pace, stamina and energy up-front. Yet, noisy parts aside, Everything in Between shows a milder and more laidback side of No Age. Maybe it's the coming of age.

Opener "Life Prowler" is a seeking song, quietly searching for a distant target. Us, the listeners. "Glitter" follows the footsteps, only with a minor dose of bursting noise cascades. This one, as well as the more punky and punchy "Fever Dreaming" make me think of 1990s band St Johnny. They do sound young and fresh, but when listening through the album I get this 'noise annoys' feeling, or a feeling of getting too much. Here are 13 tracks, and even though they're short (most tracks clocking in between 2-4 minutes), and the album is done in less than 40 minutes, there are some fillers. That said there are enough gems here to cheer this as one solid record.

Some highlights are (in addition to the aforementioned ones) "Depletion", the British sounding (imagine a collaboration between Peter Perrett/Peter Doherty) "Common Heat", the instrumental ballad (!) "Positive Amputation" (a peaceful oasis in here), and the closing "Chem Trails".

Everything in Between will be out on September 28th.

Copyright © 2010 Håvard Oppøyen