Album Review: No Age - Everything In Between

There are a lot of angles to take in taking apart and analyzing the thoughtful punk rock of No Age. First, has anyone else noticed the downpour of indie rock duos making their presence known right now? I am not sure how much can be attributed to the road previously laid by Jack and Meg White, but at least the drummers are better. I am thinking that No Age should tour with Japandroids, The Black Keys and White Mystery and call it the "2x4 Power Duos Tour" and get it a dual sponsorship from Doublemint Gum and Black & Decker. But I digress.The sensitivity in the lyrics juxtaposing the raw, lo-fi fuzz of No Age is the stuff Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr., and early SubPop grunge. Sadly, raging guitar rock tinged with feeling spun itself into ultra-sensitive, guy-lining emo over the past decade or so. In contrast, the duo of Randy Randall and Dean Allen Spunt keep it thoughtful and artful with one foot firmly in the past, never forgetting to pay alms to their forefathers and always praying at the altar of their past influences. After two successive albums of drenching pop-punk with experimental noise, No Age constructs a calmer clamor on Everything In Between, turn down the fuzz but keeping fan attention with hooks that stick with you throughout the day. Think of it as comfort food for your ears.

The urgent thump of "Life Prowler" is the starting pistol for Everything In Between, the first stripped down showcase of the album's many anthems. Next is the early single "Glitter" raising the ante with a cheerleading beat and a lyrical cry for keeping those important people close. (Read my full review of "Glitter" here.) By the next tracks "Fever Dreaming" and "Depletion", No Age is all in for tearing the roof off any listening space, screaming, squealing and amp-shredding through 13 minutes of audio, rocking harder than anything else has in 2010.

Things begin to spread out from here as No Age interweave their fuzzed out experiments, alt-rock homages and their reflective nature to fill out Everything In Between with eye-opening moments and interesting twists. The boys keep in simple on the coffee-house style of "Common Heat" then get punchy again with drum roll and bursting finale on "Skinned". For good measure, they channel the shoegazing beauty of My Bloody Valentine in the instrumental interlude "Katerpillar" and stretch it out through backward tape loops on "Dusted". The power pop of "Valley Hump Crash" makes the indie historian want to blow the dust off their old Posies and Sloan LPs. Finishing up the album is the accurately monikered "Shred and Transcend" where they shake the shit out of you as a reminder that they still can and the melodic closer "Chem Trails" putting the exclamation point on an amazingly varied album that proves once again No Age can do a lot with a little.

Give the entire album a listen below courtesy of SubPop, then watch the promo video for Everything In Between as well.

Purchase No Age Everything in Between here.

Click here to download "Glitter" for free. Click here to download "Fever Dreaming" for free.

No Age - Everything in Between (Note: The tracks "Skinned" and "Sorts" are mislabeled and should be transposed.)



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