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and Nothing is #1
World Won’t Listen
This band’s name may be ridiculous, but their music is fantastic. From this point on, we’ll refer to them as “UUD,” simply because I don’t have the patience to type all of those words (which is a code for endless lives in NES Contra). Although I had never before heard this band, I am quite glad that I was able to get this album for review. While UUD fits neatly into the emo/math-rock category, they’re not a band to be easily pigeonholed. Let’s discuss.
Immediate comparisons include: Jazz June, Braid, early Karate, Corm and Dianogah (with more instruments). There is a definite aura to the album, as a whole: one of laid-back coolness. The drums are capricious, often switching time signatures, but a relaxed mood never really leaves, even when the band is ferociously attacking their instruments in a fit of mathematical expression.
The vocals are reminiscent of Rodan and June of 44. The singer of UUD has a warm singing voice when he needs it, but also knows how to belt out an intimidating scream.
To be completely honest, this record sounds like it was written in the late 1990s, when the trend was toward more mathy stuff than it is now. What makes these guys unique is the fact that there is something indescribable that allows this album to be instantly likeable.
“Help Me Fix My Bike” sounds like Louisville’s Metroschifter, complete with swaying drum beats and simple, yet enormous guitar riffs. There are all kinds of little break down parts, featuring guitar trickery and other forms of musical evildoing. “Time Wastes No Time” finds a much more individual UUD. It is on this song that UUD announces its presence as a band that cannot always be compared to others. The lead singer really croons here, as the drums play a quietly frantic beat, with the guitars furtively following along, nipping at the heels, waiting to attack at any moment. When the attack does come, the band suddenly stops, launching into a violin-driven serenade of some fair lady. The attack returns shortly thereafter, in a grandiose fashion that sounds like a Radiohead song outro.
With that said, and Nothing is #1 is an excellent record. I truly miss the days when a lot of bands sounded like this, and it’s nice to see UUD sticking to complexity and ferocity in their punk rock. Fabulous first full length; let’s hope they don’t break up like many of the future greats tend to do.
World Won’t Listen: http://www.worldwontlisten.com/
