While No Age's last album was certainly a guilty pleasure, it just doesn't hold a candle to the quality of their new album, An Object. Sure, the band's third album was good, there's no arguing that, but his time No Age has ascended to a whole new level in their songwriting, arrangement and performance; not one song on An Object is forgettable or easy to skip – this album is just striking all the way through.
Both those who were won by 2010's Everything In Between as well as those who found it lacking will be astounded by An Object and fall head over heels for the grainy production and the dramatic improvements to craft made in songs like “Defected,” “Running From A Go-Go,” “Circling With Dizzy” and “Commerce, Comment, Commence.” In each of those cases (and more – those mentioned are just the personal favorites of this writer), singer/drummer Dean Allen Spunt proves that he has learned how to feed off of the samples that he and guitarist Randy Randall use to fill out the mixes of each song and weave around them instead of just trying to stand in front of them like a backdrop or punch through them like they're in the way. Instead, he almost seems to interact with them as he goes; weaving in and out as though he's almost dancing with them. Not only that, but the band also works a little easier with different textural effects in each song; feedback, dissonance and a little extra space left in the mixes here lets everything in the songs breathe a little easier, and listeners will find it even easier to engage with the songs than on any album before it. Because of that, as “Commerce, Comment, Commence” works its way out to close the record, both the new listeners as well as those who criticized No Age previously will have been completely won over by An Object. This time, repeated listens and praise are inevitable and very well deserved.
That such praise IS deserved this time might be one of the most endearing things about An Object. This is, after all, No Age's fourth album and, while the band has always found a few receptive ears, there have also always been a few listeners who, in true indie fashion, have inflated and over hyped the band's promise. This time though, No Age deserves some rabid praise, and that's just cool; it's uncommon for a band to actually catch up with its own hype, but No Age has done it beautifully on An Object.
Artist:
www.noagela.org/
www.myspace.com/nonoage
www.facebook.com/noage
www.twitter.com/NoAgeLA
Download:
No Age – An Object – "An Impression" – [mp3]
No Age – An Object – "C'mon Stimmung" – [mp3]
Album:
An Object will be released on August 20, 2013 by Sub Pop Records. Pre-order it here on Amazon .
