Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory

Oh lo-fi. The gift that keeps on giving. Its infiltration into much of today's indie bands hasn't gone unnoticed, and although it would appear that few have been commercially successful (Yuck, Ariel Pink, Smith Westerns) there've been more than a fair number of excellently-received albums in recent years from the softer side of rock. Perhaps that explains the British fascination with the decline of 'hard' rock. Nonetheless, it's a rebirth that's splitting music fans - coincidentally, and rather neatly, with the rise of the usage of the word 'hipster'. Take that how you will.

The Cleveland band have already released two LPs before this in late January, but not even Wikipedia acknowledges their existence. So whether you're feeling a little bit wet from that fact, or sneering at their third try's success, we can derive from all of that very little musical detail. It's just something lazy music writers will peddle in lieu of informative writing. Ho-hum.


Pretty pianos and Pixies-inspired riffs herald in our opening track, 'No Future No Past' and right away there's a very angsty faraway vibe about the whole thing. The fact that they opt to drawl out two-syllable lyrics until the screamed repetition of the title should give some indication of how restricted it's presenting itself, but the instrumentation is potently moody enough to carry it off. The energy is then intensified on the opening to 'Wasted Days', an almost-nine minute existential dilemma ("I thought I would be more than this!") thrashed out over some captivating segues and riffs. The production really kicks in around 3:30 though with quite a QOTSA shift of sounds, and there's a scorching bit of feedback in the background that commands attention. The angst continues on 'Fall In' with lines such as "They don't believe in me, why should I agree?" and "nothing left for you to use", but there's an ironic happy feel about their willingness to 'fall in'.

The fast life is lamented on 'Stay Useless': "I need time to stop moving/ I need time to stay useless", with a much more radio-friendly tune and vocal melody to kind-of aspire to mainstream sensibilities, which is admirable in a cute way. The instrumental 'Separation' then serves as a welcome breakdown inbetween all of the spoken misery, almost as if it were time to tear at the walls for a bit. It switches nicely between full-blown blustering and off-beat rock-and-roll riffs with ease, before 'No Sentiment' appears. Channelling their inner Nirvana, it's heavy on percussion and uses a bee-swarming riff throughout, as singer Dylan Baldi nasally whines "we don't care what we'll lose". His voice verges on annoying towards the end, though.

Thusly they reign it in on 'Our Plans' with an emphasis on individuality and idiosyncracy ("No one knows our plans for us/ we won't last long") but there's again that kind of resigned doom about the lyrics that's bleakly revealing. Final track 'Cut You' is easily the chirpiest-sounding with 50s drum rhythms and gentle chords, but lyrically it veers towards violence ("Does he hurt you like I do?") and the stranger sides of a breakup ("I miss you 'cause I like damage").


The music is catchy enough to ward away any fears over the bleakness of their lyrical themes, and effectively Attack on Memory is the best of both worlds. They're safe in all the right ways and daring in more. It might not be the most uplifting record but most of the best art inspires feelings of misery and truth, and to do so with tunes as sweet as this makes the pill a little easier to swallow. The only problem I'd offer is how brief the album is - just over half an hour in total - and the vocals at times begin to grate on me.

Rating: 8/10
Highlights: Wasted Days, Separation, Cut You, Stay Useless
Avoid: n/a

Artwork Watch: IT IS BLURRY, THE SEA IS THERE, THERE'S ALSO A LIGHTHOUSE, IT'S IN BLACK AND WHITE, THE FONT IS SMALL, THIS IS SERIOUS.