Back to School

Sub Pop has a knack for sensing a hit.  It’s as if they smell catchy and find it before anyone else. They observe a small band, perhaps signed to a small label, maybe not, and swoop in on the phenomenon before it ever becomes such and then turn it into a  trend.  Does Nirvana ring any bells?  L.A. natives No Age is the most recent acquisition of Sub Pop, a noise rock duo ready to impress with their label debut Nouns. And while there are no such comparisons between the two bands, you can’t help but notice the grit from such original soils like another label mate Oxford Collapse under their guitar plucking nails.

Is Sub Pop right about No Age?  Nouns highlights experimental roots coupled with their noise rock standards, but is juxtaposed with more poppy tracks like ‘Miner’ and ‘Cappo.’  It’s an odd blend, but it’s relatively satisfying.  Before No Age came to be they were a hardcore punk band called Wives. Though these more poppy tracks are not even close to anything Wives produced, the punk genre is still prevalent.  ‘Cappo’ leaves you bouncing around with the snare drum batters, not quite punk but punk-enough to get your head banging.  Each song, averaging about two minutes in length, is like a rupture of vigor  A sprint more so than a marathon; the latter being what kind of tracks most experimental groups produce.  It’s a spoonful of trippy noises and guitar distortion, easy to swallow and digest.

These short, energetic tracks can be deceiving however.  Because of their quick manner it’s hard to notice that most of Nouns sound a bit too similar.  Their more experimental tracks like ‘Things I Did When I Was Dead’ are great, but their pop cuts can become monotonous.  Potential is in their hands, but it’s a question of will it grow into something more? As it stands, No Age is off to a excellent start.

Amy Dittmeier