Nothing ‘Guilty Of Everything’ CD/LP/DD 2014

Nothing 'Guilty Of Everything'Holy hell this is one refreshing album. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a full album in the way I’m enjoying this. I’m still trying to pinpoint some genres to pigeon hole this into but there’s so many that it’s fucking difficult to do. It’s mellow, transcendent, heavy in places, static awesomeness.

Basically it’s the start of a new year and I’m sitting on my couch experiencing an eargasm. The first track ‘Hymn To The Pillory‘ starts off with this mellow beauty, simplistic guitar strokes with lofty vocals. Followed by mid-way pounding that really sets you up for the rest of the album.

Dig‘ kicks in a lot heavier, the lofty vocals continue and are accompanied by some great beats. The fully synthesized lead guitar takes precedence here with the rest being a nice mellow sound in the background. It ramps up fantastically to some gnarly rhythm guitar, it’s so soft though, floating around in a far off place, so hauntingly brilliant.

Next up the shortest track on the album ‘Bent Nail‘ rolls in and kicks you in the balls. In true short track fashion it’s a punky poppy heavy rhythmic track that plays out well. The vocals still carry that soft sound we’ve heard so far and the rhythm guitar rolls in the same barrel as it did previously but the speed of the track heightens it to great levels, rolling out in a similarly haunting level as the previous track.

Endlessly‘ blows me away every time I hear it, something about the intro just pushes me back to the past. There’s something about this track that makes me reminisce, it holds on to what I’d expect from this band, the static rhythm of the guitar carries into the soft vocals again. Overall a more vocal track though with a more mellow feedback that will occasionally strengthen. Possibly one of my favourite tracks on the album, it seems to satisfy my brain so well and falls perfectly into ‘Somersault‘.

An aptly named track it makes me think of falling, in a good way of course. A slow motion jump from a plane at 13,000 feet somersaulting through the sky but falling into Nothing (pun certainly intended). It’s definitely a free fall, following suit with the rest of the album the loft vocals and static riffs drift you into the void before slamming you face down into the ground at the end of the track. It’s OK though the landing is softened by ‘Get Well‘ ironically because any time I’ve attempted a somersault it’s guaranteed to be followed by a get well card. Anyway ‘Get Well‘ ups the tempo once more and has a nice Smashing Pumpkins feel to it. It has an extremely angsty sound with more noticeable guitar riffs very noticeable late nineties feel. Melodic at its finest it carries a sadness to it, thinking about the past and lost relationships.

But hey let’s not ‘Beat Around The Bush‘ we might scare out the monster that is this track. A sudden change of pace and a different mood altogether, the track is seemingly darker in texture on the outside. The guitar certainly brings in a darkness, still holding on to that static rhythm that really makes this album its own. Smashing cymbals pounded in the background and those beautiful lofty vocals, if the previous track wasn’t making you feel melancholic then this one certainly will. Enjoy the melancholy, sometimes you just have to let go.

Don’t let go too long though as it’s time for an adventure ‘B&E‘ FUCK YEAH ‘B&E‘ Still figuring out what it means, at the moment I’m thinking it means fucking awesome track. Have you ever seen the Goonies? I’m assuming you have, if you haven’t fuck off right now and watch it! Anyway this track makes me think of that movie, of adventure, of running off into the great unknown and losing yourself. The mid-point of this track is hard to describe, it drops into this lovely waterfall of sound, simplistic guitar, picking up to a lavish array of everything. I spoke of my eargasm earlier, this was the climax, I have goo on my headphones.

Post coital beauty and title track ‘Guilty Of Everything‘ leads us out of the album, it starts off nice and mellow, which is perfect after the ear delight we received from ‘B&E’. It builds up nicely to a heavier lead out of the album. There’s no change in the style, we’re floating on lofty vocals and static guitar riffs, played out to the lyrics “I’m guilty of everything”.

Phew, what more can I say on this album, besides go out and buy it. There’s not much music I’m inspired to buy these days but this album really hits me hard. It’s got some definite inspiration from Smashing Pumpkins, Silverchair and even early Foo Fighters. If you enjoy lofty vocals, melancholic tunes and thought provoking musical beauty then don’t hesitate to check this out.

Label: Relapse Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Twitter

Scribed by: Antony Bartlett