Nothing

Guilty of Everything

Written by: PP on 13/02/2014 21:56:11

If you wonder what punk, shoegaze, and stoner rock have in common, here's your answer. In what is about to launch a storm of critical acclaim upon its release in two weeks much like Torche's "Harmonicraft" did two years ago, Nothing's "Guilty Of Everything" is a masterpiece that presents the shoegaze genre in a completely different light. Taking influence from the likes of Title Fight, Torche, My Bloody Valentine, and Jesu all at the same time, their take on what is essentially shoegaze is as unique as it is beautiful, as tranquil and relaxing as it is voluminous and noisy. It has the potential to revolutionize the genre much in the same way as Torche did to sludge/stoner, which nowadays is referred to as pop-stoner, so it's not unreasonable to dub Nothing's expression pop-shoegaze for all your genre loving pigeonholists out there.

When you combine undertones of punk rock together with dreamy, spacious soundscapes filled with strong melodies that toy with distant hints of pop, the result is an innovative sound that'll challenge its listener through grower-type, progressive melodies that open up into massive soundscapes upon closer inspection. Let's put it this way: if your favorite "Floral Green" song was "Head In The Ceiling Fan", here's pretty much an album's worth of songs like that. "Dig", in particular, draws direct from Title Fight to that extent; given how its subtle melodies are created almost entirely of fluffy guitar echo and dreamy vocals. The latter have been pushed to the back of the soundscape purposefully to achieve an eerily lush and contemplative atmosphere; they are barely audible compared to the barrages of noisy guitar and crushing crescendo sections that take over in perfect timing in most songs. And here's where you gotta give credit to the production, which is brilliant in how crisp and detailed it is, even when the majority of instrumentation and vocals are allowed to echo in the way that they do on the record.

This is in turn a major reason why the songs on "Guilty of Everything" are so catchy despite being lengthy and drawn-out in their expression, save for the punk-oriented "Bent Nail" that speeds its way through sounding like Danish band iceage in places. The best tracks ont he record are those like the title track, however, which is a beautiful concoction of Title Fight style post-hardcore, shoegaze, and stoner principles in what is easily one of the best tracks you'll hear in 2014. The fact that there are numerous such tracks on "Guilty of Everything" only speaks for what an experience this album is - an early candidate for one of 2014's best releases.

Download: Dig, Guilty Of Everything, B&E, Get Well, Endlessly
For the fans of: Torche, My Bloody Valentine, Title Fight, Jesu
Listen: Facebook

Release date 28.02.2014
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