Review Summary: massive, ominous garage-punk
Don’t be fooled: although Cloud Nothings’ third album, Attack on Memory, may only feature eight tracks, it is nothing short of colossal. Attack is one of those rare albums that can be played through time after time, each time revealing something new about an album you thought you already knew so well.
Glancing at the album’s cover, you might get the impression that this album encompasses the feelings of fading away, meaninglessness, oblivion, pessimism, and dread. “No Future/No Past,” the album’s opener, certainly covers all of these states, but merely serves as a warm up for the album’s early peak, “Wasted Days.” This song makes an enthralling mess of the states that “No Future/No Past” merely took a stab at. At roughly nine minutes long, this song is the length of tracks three through five combined (hence the warning not to be fooled by the album having only eight tracks). Although some artists might struggle to construct a song that balances length and vigor, Dylan Baldi, the mastermind behind Cloud Nothings, does it with ease, creating an infinitely listenable song.
The ominous guitars and punk rhythms of the album’s first two tracks continue throughout the album, tearing through highlights such as “Stay Useless,” “No Sentiment,” and “Our Plans.” Then there's “Fall In,” which is more reminiscent of a teenage emo jam than of a punk song, yet remains thrilling, never feeling angst-driven or obnoxious.
No, this album is not for everyone: its combination of visceral guitars, dissonant, out-of-key vocals, and spastic rhythms may turn away some listeners. Really, though, Attack on Memory is simply too massive to be ignored. Although there are similar artists out there, none has quite hit the nail on the head like this before.
