THE WAIT IS OVER! After a two-year lull, Wild Nothing has unveiled a new chapter of their musical repertoire. Nocturne is an eleven-song follow up to the wildly acclaimed debut gem Gemini. Wild Nothing is the dream pop vision of Virginia-grown frontman Jack Tatum, who previously played in the bands Jack and the Whale and Facepaint in the college town of Blacksburg. Since Wild Nothing was born in the summer of 2009, Tatum has left the rolling hills of the Shenandoah Valley for New York.
The album is a strong sophomoric effort for Tatum and his young musical endeavor. It is at the same time mellow and catchy; steady and experimental; pensive and exciting. Tatum said in an interview with Dazed Digital magazine that “Nocturne” is not only his favorite song on the album, but is also representative of an underlying theme “which is kind of this nighttime, drowsy, lack of sleep delirious type feeling.” I don’t think the title track is the best song on the album, but the simple guitar licks, stretchy vocals, and intoxicating harmonies come together beautifully. To me, “Nocturne” is a combination of the band’s biggest hit from Gemini, “Chinatown”, and the sound of those French guys, Phoenix.
The rest of the review after the jump…
While the album is undoubtedly “dreamy” just as Tatum admits himself, the band displays a heightened level of musical maturity and continuity that pervades throughout the whole, not just in a few tracks or in chunks (like on Gemini, some critics argue). Just when the sounds melt together into a trance-like groove, a sporadic percussive rhythm or melodic shift pops up to keep your feet tapping.
From the unexpected syncopation and metrical changes in “Through the Grass”, to the saccharine sweet love lyrics in “Only Heather”, to the rolling synths of “Rheya”, the strongest parts of Nocturne are not the repeating guitar riffs, but the characteristics that lend some variation. The album starts off extremely strong, and could frankly use some of the excitement and flavor of the first half in the second. The shy but undeniably musically invigorating guys of Wild Nothing are quickly proving themselves as a band with a cohesive sound and style. They took the indie music world by storm with Gemini and will again — in even fuller force — with Nocturne.
The album is out today via Captured Tracks. Buy. Listen. Love.
