the LUNA music word 'em up: NO AGE - Everything In Between (Sub Pop)

Up until now I had little use for No Age. Their first proper album "Nouns" was released in 2008 amidst a slew of similar lo-fi indie rock (emphasis on the rock) bands. Times New Viking, Vivian Girls, Wavves and Titus Andronicus all released lo-fi albums that same year that rocked harder, and were ten times more dynamic and captivating than anything on "Nouns," critical hyperbole aside. I know that what I am saying is the minority opinion, particularly since No Age were rewarded with a top five spot on many year-end lists and I could barely have a conversation about music that year that didn't eventually contain the question 'have you heard No Age?' followed by the incredulous response 'really? I thought they would totally be your thing?!' once I versed my lack of enthusiasm for "Nouns." Now, I understand why people would be shocked that I didn't dig "Nouns." It was fuzzy and loud, which are two of my favorite musical qualities, and it hearkened back to the glory days of bands like Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth and Guided By Voices. But fuzzy and loud, as well as mining the bones of indie rock's past, can only get you so far. I need hooks, melodies and other sweet nothings to keep me interested after the allure of walls of lo-fi noise wears off. Even now as I listen to "Nouns" I cannot get past the monotony of that album. Sure, there are a few songs here and there that kill, but for the most part I stand by my initial assessment. "Teen Creeps" is a keeper, but as the album wears on, it grows increasingly flat and just plain boring, with few hooks, if any, to keep a discerning listener engaged. So when Dan, the man who hooks me up week after week with new shit to review, said "we go the new No Age in," the most excitement I could muster up was a shrug of the shoulders and a barely audible "meh."

Given my general apathy for "Nouns," why in the world am I am writing a review of their second proper release (third overall) "Everything In Between"? Well, admittedly on occasion I read what other reviewers say about music and I noticed the high praise that "Everything" was receiving. Somewhere in the back of my head my subconscious said that since lo-fi fuzz rock bands were now a dime a dozen, most of these critics were probably not giving extra points for the novelty of No Age's approach, as might have been the case with "Nouns," when the lo-fi movement was really starting to build. Soon there after I had the opportunity to see No Age open for Pavement, and I heard songs I didn't recognize from "Nouns" and they were good, really really good. So I thought, what the hell, I'll give "Everything" a spin. What's the worst that could happen? I lose 45 minutes of my life? If I can listen to Neon Indian's album at least three times trying to 'get it,' then I can give these guys, who are at least a real rock band, another shot.

I am incredibly glad I did. I still have general apathy for "Nouns," but "Everything In Between," may just end up being on my year-end list's top five. This is a hell of an album. It's more dynamic and diverse than "Nouns," and demonstrates a major evolution in songwriting for the duo of Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt.

The album begins with "Life Prowler," a song whose atmospheric guitar intro is undercut by a steadily pounding beat that turns what would be an almost post-rock ambiance into a pulsating anthem even before it turns into a proper forward lurching rhythm. It's an uplifting track that draws upon the emotionality of post-rock and the power of well crafted indie pop, and the best part is that it's really only an intro for what is to come. "Glitter" follows with dazzling guitar effects and bop and sway drums. If "Nouns" was missing hooks, "Glitter" piles them up with each and every line. It's a perfect song that builds upon the ambient pop of "Life Prowler," and blows it out into the universe. This shit is life affirming and life altering. Seriously, it's that good. This is the kind of song that you want to hear live with all of your friends at a big festival where you can lose yourselves in the beauty of the moment and the music. If you've ever had that experience, you will know what I'm talking about.

The band returns to their punky roots with "Fever Dreaming," which sounds a bit like an SST band of old, with squelching guitars thrown into the mix. It's a rocker and, dare I say, a hooky earworm from the band I considered a yawn fest a mere two years ago. "Depletion" finds the band further mining those old hardcore roots, with a darker sound reminiscent of Hüsker Dü or early Dinosaur Jr. Having said that, I feel it necessary that to say that while No Age often gets compared to those indie rock legends, and while I am not one to let an influence or a rip-off go unchecked, No Age ultimately sounds like No Age. Their raw emotive guitar sound does indeed fall within the same general vicinity as the Hüskers and Dinos and Sonic Youth, but they do not sound like those bands. They have their own voice and their own unique take on lo-fi indie/punk fuzz that sounds more like an evolution in sound than it does a throwback.

Switching things up, Randall and Spunt offer up the desperate acoustic-based "Common Heat," followed by the kind of Animal Collectivish meets crushing guitar-drone that isn't quite evil enough to be Sunn 0))) "Skinned" just to keep things interesting. Did I say this album was diverse?

What comes next is the stuff of legends. "Valley Hump Crash" begins and proceeds like a proper engaging indie pop-rock song. It would have been a more than satisfying track full of melody and bounce if the band had just provided the right kind of bridge or solo to preserve it in the amber of indie-rock goodness, but No Age isn't interested in mere goodness on "Everything." By now it is clear they are shooting for greatness and "Valley Hump Crash" brings them that much closer to their goal. Yeah there is a bridge, and it's pretty cool, but after the band returns to the song's main melody they start to emphasize a bit of a darker chord progression before exploding into a Sonic Youth-worthy freak out, while never losing the script on the melody. And then, with barely a breath, comes the stumbling rhythm of "Sorts" that sounds like a drunken love-sick punk trying to find his footing. Once he does, the song falls into a lockstep groove that sounds like victory over whatever internal and external demons that plagued him. Tellingly, the song comes to a close with the refrain "lalala without you." Both "Valley Hump Crash" and "Sorts" are amazing in their own right, but back-to-back they pack a one-two punch that no other album this year has produced, pushing "Everything" over the top, and redeeming No Age once and for all in my book.

The only weakness here is the band's insistence on producing decent but ultimately forgettable instrumentals like "Dusted" and "Positive Amputation." Oddly, both tracks would sound great on lesser records, but they drag "Everything" down after a straight run of amazingly dynamic songs.

Thankfully the band returns to the fray once more with the blistering "Shed and Transcend." It's an indie-punk rocker that smells like mosh pit and spilled beer everywhere, and all the better for it. "Chem Trials" closes the album with vocals being exchanged between Spunt and Randall and finds the band returning to a more uplifting fuzz-pop stance that brings the record full circle.

In the end "Everything In Between" is a sonic journey full of highs and lows, joy and despair, love and disdain curated by two men who's songwriting ability has grown by leaps and bounds to the point where it is no hyperbole to say that this album is a reflection of life itself - all of it's beauty, and all of it's unbearable shit. It is also a watershed album for the lo-fi movement; an album that shuns affectation for substance.

For a band that I never gave a second thought to, No Age has set a new standard for other lo-fi artists to aspire toward. All that is left to say is highest recommendation possible.

Very nice fan video for "Glitter"