No Age - "Snares Like A Haircut"

Now it goes without saying, the early to Mid-2000's was a GIGANTIC time for Noise Rock and Art Rock (and all of the lovely sub-genres that float in between).  Los Angeles's No Age came rocketing on to the scene in 2007 with "Weirdo Rippers" trying to capitalize on that.  And with their debut album, I really thought they were a little late to the party.  The Fuzzy, sort of Surf Rock, with Punk and Noise elements galore, just seemed like it had been done so much better at the time.  At the end of the day, "Weirdo Rippers" sort of came off like you had scored tickets to your Cousin's best friend's Noise Band and had nothing else to do but go see them live.  News flash, they were just alright.  But, I will give "Weirdo Rippers" this though.  Some of the more experimental and Art Rock elements that came in some of the more traditional tracks was a whole lot more interesting and gave me a lot of hope for No Age.  And I wasn't let down because the band did a complete 180 with their next album "Nouns".  This album was the exact opposite of their debut compilation in every way.  Now only did tracks like "Ripped Knees" and "Sleeper Hold" rip with the determination of early Wavves, but also had the melody and the big choruses of a band like Japandroids.  But No Age wasn't OK with being just another Noisy Rock band, because they intertwined all of these banging tunes with a very modern Production that made sure to keep the band's sound dirty as great as it sounded, but also infused that with these very lush and well thought out interludes.  The result was one of the most artfully sound Noise Rock albums you were going to here, period.  I almost enjoyed the band's 2010 album "Everything In Between" even more.  Tracks like "Valley Hump Crash" and "Skinned" were just so determined and showed the band had a seriously unbelievable sound.  Not to mention, they had just come such a long way artistically from their early experimental days.  No Age's next album, 2013's "An Object" however is a weird one, to say the least.  There were some of No Age's most intense and upfront tunes here, like "I Won't Be Your Generator" and "C'mon, Stimmung".  These weren't just great rock tunes, they were first listen classics.  But Most of the rest of the album showed No Age getting increasingly unfocused.  So it's been a few years since we've heard from No Age.  But these new singles have been very VERY impressive and maybe some of No Age's best in years.  I'm excited to dive deeper!

This album starts off with “Cruise Control”, and it’s just the sort of muscular, ripping Noise Rock that I needed to hear.  There are actually a lot of elements of Shoegaze floating through the background, making for this stunning, glistening sound that’s absolutely to die for.  It’s certainly noisy and chaotic.  But at the same time, “Cruise Control” is actually really beautiful.  It’s got a hopeful undertone and some beautiful production.  No Age seriously have a knack for making grungy, dirty Noise Rock comes off as Artsy and hip.  It reminds me honestly of some of the legendary tunes on the first few Japandroids albums.  It’s just melodic enough, but the sheer amount of reverb-soaked guitars and intense drums make this a stunning opener.  Even that last 30 seconds of grimy and hazy ambient noise is somehow beautiful.  “Stuck In The Charger” on the other hand is a little more charged, with some less glamorous production and sing-along verses.  But I love just how noisy this one is, with every instrumental practically bleeding into one another constantly.  And while yes, that sounds horribly messy, it’s actually really beautiful and makes you feel like in some sweaty bar watching No Age live.  Also, I can’t commend them enough for going as far with a backing Shoegaze sound, I mean this track is seriously glistening. The very majestic brand of Noise Rock continues with “Drippy”, armed with twinkling intro notes and the most determined riff we’ve heard yet.   This track to put it bluntly, completely rips, and takes me back to a time where I thought Wavves was going to be the next huge band and Japandroids songs were every day anthems.   “Drippy” is intense and throttling, but it’s also nostalgic and wonderfully catchy.  It plows into the future full force, but also reminds us of the good times, the simpler times, and that’s something special.  Then we have “Send Me” which is obviously, something I figured the boys would handle eventually.  And that my friends, is a much more relaxed tune, with swirling synths as well as plenty of reverb that would make and Shoegaze purist crack a smile.  But even more than that, the performance by Drummer/Vocalist Dean Allen Spunt here is just so passionate and seriously tender.  We don’t hear him usually slow down this much, but this performance is quite frankly inspiring.  Once again, “Send Me” is a very nostalgic performance, taking me back to the early days of this budding genre.  It’s beautiful and passionate, but No Age end up continuing to keep their cool whits about them.  The beer-soaked garage that most of this album was built on is going to have a few tears on the ground after “Send Me”.  

    Up next No Age take a stab at some ambient material, which is something I’m always interested in hearing.  I love how serene “Snares Like A Haircut” is, they really do have a knack for these interludes.  Honestly, I would go as far to say this track is therapeutic, with a tone of very hypnotic sound effects and some distant feedback.  It’s seriously very impressive, so much so that I do sort of wish they maybe threw in another song like this or two.  Some of the sound play here is to die for, and the longer this track goes on the more beautiful it gets.  Is this a raucous rocker?  The furthest thing my friends.  But it doesn’t slow the album down, on the contrary, it makes this album feel more complete.  While that track was a nice change of pace, the distant twinkling guitars, as well as Dean’s very monotonous and visual opening, is downright exciting.  What follows is VERY well needed, as “Tidal” quickly becomes the most intense and muddiest track yet, with Dean’s very passionate vocals soaring above it all.  But the controlled chaos of this album continues to be the main story.  As wild and thunderous every instrumental is here, it all seems to be very under wraps and under control.  “Tidal” is a real thrill ride of a tune, with the listener never knowing whether to expect a sing-along verse or an intense passage.  Which honestly, could be said about a lot of this album, and that excites the hell out of me.  But I’ve spoken too soon, because “Soft Collar Fad” up next is absolutely off the rails in every way.  This one just seems out of control from the word “go”.  From the very brash production, the intense reverb, and the wild performances, “Soft Collar Fad’ is one of the most fun tunes here.  But one thing that hasn’t let up at all, is the triumphant lyrics.  That beer-soaked bar is clearly still in business.   Then we have “Popper” which all around is one of the heaviest tunes here.  I mean, this track is just so gigantic between its thick production and it’s huge riffs.  Hell, the instrumentals get so big here that they start to drown out Dean’s performance.  It’s a fantastic sound for the album though, even though it’s not nearly as pristine and “pretty” as some of the earlier tunes here.  But I can’t help but feel like that this is exactly where No Age should be.  This album so far has easily been their best project since “Nouns”.  Not to mention, it’s these tracks that really give No Age that sound of attitude they once dripped in.  Simply put, this album is VERY good. 

    Now, I hate to say it, but No Age does drop the ball a little with the final third of the album.  First off we have “Secret Swamp” which show No Age bringing in some accosting guitar in the background which is certainly nice.  But of all the tracks here, this is by far the messiest.  Here, a lot of the production doesn’t come off nearly as edgy, it just sounds sloppy.  Not to mention, these are by far some of Dean’s most uninspired vocals.  “Secret Swamp” is a weird one, and doesn’t really even sound like it belongs on this album.  Obviously, this album is still fantastic, but this one doesn’t do anything for me.  “Third Grade Rave” on the other hand is a stark departure from the rest of the album.  This is just so stunning and beautiful, with heavy, and I mean HEAVY Shoegaze elements.  The twinkling guitars in the distance, the almost overwhelming reverb, the intense drums, they’re all here and in full effect.  “Third Grade Rave” is absolutely stunning and beautiful.  And while I don’t know if I want more of this on the album, it’s certainly welcome for a few minutes.  Take note current Rock bands, this is how you do an interlude.  But No Age really do drop the ball with the last few tunes.  “Squashed” right off the bat just sounds ugly, and as it goes on it really doesn’t get much better.  I feel like this was a long-lost demo from “Weirdo Rippers”, it’s that ugly.  And that’s coming from a band that literally have made a career on muddy, intense performances.  But this just sounds like No Age needed one last track and sort of threw this one together.  It’s not even done classy, it just sounds like some college kids jamming attempting to sound like No Age. After “Squashed” I honestly wanted to get a little more of a punchy ending.  Sadly, “Primitive Plus” is on the boring side as well.  I just feel like No Age could have done more with this then some ambient sounds and some half-baked moans from Dean.  Even when some of the beefier instrumentals come in, it doesn’t sound nearly as tight as some of the earlier tunes on the album.

Rating: 8.2/10

Give A Listen To: "Cruise Control", "Drippy", "Tidal", "Soft Collar Fad"

Genre: Noise Rock / Art Punk / Shoegaze / Experimental Rock 

Overall Thoughts:  These are easily a collection of the all-around best No Age tracks since their modern classic “Nouns”.  The first 2/3’s of this album is a non-stop romp between every beer-soaked club No Age have ever played in.  It’s raucous, youthful, anthemic, and every other element that made No Age such a fresh new face in the mid-2000’s.  But there’s also a healthy dose of Art Punk and especially Shoegaze. But for fans of their more artsy side, No Age prove that they really can still master the instrumental interlude.  While No Age does fall off in the ladder half of the album with some questionable tunes, this album overall is an absolute blast.