Nothing Is Really Something

Nothing

In the late '80s and early '90s, we were really inundated by bands that fit the shoegaze description.  "Shoegaze" was a term coined by music critics for artsy bands that did not jump around and engage the audience, but would stare contemplatively at their shoes while they played their instruments.

However, back then, we didn't call it shoegaze.  I now describe shoegaze as "hard rock influenced by Cocteau Twins".  And I think that's a pretty apt description,  Back in the day, this included bands like Lush, My Bloody Valentine, and Catherine Wheel.  These bands were dominated by soft, unintelligible vocals drowned in a wash of white noise of swirling guitars.

Fortunately, this genre of music is alive and well thanks to, one of my favorite bands, Silversun Pickups, and a new band called Nothing, originally out of the Philadelphia hardcore scene.

I randomly stumbled on their debut album, "Guilty of Everything", and I'm glad that I did.  They are really great.  This is my type of music.  You have to listen deeply to get past the barrage of buzzing distortion.  There is some fine musicianship here.  Dominic Palermo's vocals are hoarse and practically whispered, but it creates the ambiance.

The album starts off beautifully with "Hymn to the Pillory" that starts out soft and languid, the guitars shimmering, and the vocals are feminine and angelic.  Then it explodes into something that would make the Pixies proud.

Truthfully, every song is good here.  But my favorites are "Bent Nail" which has a Jesus & Mary Chain vibe, "Endlessly" which explores this dichotomy of hard and soft at the same time, and "Somersault" with its guitars that are very reminiscent of Robin Guthrie's ethereal strumming.  My favorite is "Get Well" which kind of reminds me of Nirvana.  "B&E" is another awesome tune, and the album finishes like a feather drifting in the wind with the title track, "Guilty of Everything".

This is such an amazing album that already has me caught in its wake.  I foresee this one becoming fast one of my favorites.