Tag Archives: cloud nothings

#1082: Cloud Nothings – Quieter Today

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Well, I guess from this day onward, things will be a bit quieter around here. It’s the last song of the P (and Q) section. It’s the last Cloud Nothings song that will feature on this whole thing too. They had a good run. The first one I wrote for the band came in 2014 with ‘Fall In’. Had I known the band earlier, ‘Cut You’ would have got its own post too. Bit of a shame though because since they released Here and Nowhere Else all those years ago, there haven’t made another record that hit me the same way as it and Attack on Memory did and still do to this day. I did think they would go on to take the rest of the 2010s by storm. Wasn’t meant to be it seems.

‘Quieter Today’ is the second song on Here and Nowhere Else and keeps things rolling on very swiftly after the album’s mood is somewhat established by its opener, ‘Now Hear In’. Guitarist and vocalist Dylan Baldi described it as ‘almost like a pop song’, and I see where he’s coming from. In terms of the structure, you’ve got the standard procedure of verse, pre-chorus, chorus (x2), bridge and outro. So, in that way, it’s easy to follow like a pop song. Though where it differs greatly is that obviously it’s in a noise-rock context where the drums are thrashing, moving almost ahead of where each beat is supposed to go, and where the guitars are playing chords and hooks at a frenetic pace. My favourite moments aren’t even brought on by the performance here. They arrive in those short pauses that occur in between the pre-choruses and the choruses themselves. All the tension built in the former is released in the latter with this great release; it’s so cathartic every time.

Gotta say I have no idea what the lyrics truly are. Genius appears to have what would be the closest-sounding to what can be heard, but I’m still skeptical about them anyway. Though Baldi also stated that the song is about being comfortable in just observing and keeping quiet when around people who talk just for the sake of talking. This is a sentiment that I am on board with all the way. If I didn’t already like the song, that just added a few bonus points in my eyes. Not that I don’t want people to talk all the time. It’s just fine to have those moments of silence where no one feels like they have to fill it with something to avoid things being “awkward” or whatever. Hats off to Cloud Nothings for this song and addressing this topic.

Annnd that is it for now. My goodness, that was a lot of songs. For a bonus, I’ll throw in ‘QYURRYUS’ by The Voidz. It won’t get a post, but I just want people to know that it’s a bop. It’ll feature on the Spotify playlist too. The series will come back, and I’ll be tackling the R’s. See you then.

#1003: Cloud Nothings – Our Plans

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Cloud Nothings’ ‘Our Plans’ is a song of few lines. “Original – it’ll never get old”, “Essential – it’ll never get old”, “There’s no time for another try”, “No one knows our plans for us”, and “We won’t last long”. Five in total, that’s all. I mean, they are each repeated in various sections of the track’s structure. That’s very much what makes the track succeed. The reliance on repetition. Makes it just that bit more memorable. From the band’s 2012 album Attack on Memory, the song is in the penultimate slot. While listeners may just be waiting to see how the whole album ends at that point, I’d put in my two cents and say that ‘Our Plans’ is worth a close listen.

The track overall showcases a tight performance by all band members involved, and with Steve Albini’s production, the drums in particular sound absolutely chaotic and incredibly powerful. Even with the limited number of lyrics available to work with, I think I’ve been able to come to an understanding on the sentiment of them. Assuming they’re frontman Dylan Baldi’s lyrics and his alone – all of their tracks are credited to the band as a whole on the album, so it may not be the case – they seem to basically highlight the pressures of being in a band and making music. The pressure of being essential, original, timeless, getting things right in the least amount of takes. With the final chorus lyric being, “We won’t last long”, it seems that Baldi doesn’t think the band will be able to withstand all of these things that are asked of them. Luckily, this was about 10 years ago, and the band are still going strong today.

And that’s it for Cloud Nothings material from Attack on Memory unfortunately. ‘Cut You’ would have had a post for itself, but I had started writing posts for songs beginning with ‘D’ before I even knew who the band was. There was once a time when I really liked ‘Stay Useless’ too, but after a while each subsequent listen had less and less of an effect on me. Here and Nowhere Else is still my favourite album made by the band, and there’s still one more track to write about from that.

#953: Cloud Nothings – Now Hear In

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‘Now Hear In’ stands as the first song I ever heard by Cloud Nothings. Attack on Memory had passed me by, and it was in 2014 when Here and Nowhere Else was released and got an 8.7 on Pitchfork that I thought this may be an album I could get behind. I don’t think I listened to the whole thing at once. I remember it being quite late at night. But ‘Now Hear In’ was right there, so it only made sense to at least hear one song before going to bed. The opening riff sounded inviting enough. Then Dylan Baldi begins singing a really accessible melody. Alongside the rough guitars and grimy rhythm section, the track made sense then and there.

I’ve written about a few songs from this album now. One quite recently as a matter of fact, so I’m at the risk of repeating a lot of things I say in those other posts here too. You can have a look back. I know what I’m about to mention is in almost all of them and that’s Jayson Gerycz’s drumming. All throughout the album, he plays at what feels like a beat earlier than all the guitars around him. Adds a sense of urgency and provides a solid rush throughout the whole album. As the first song I’d ever heard, it was strange hearing the drums being played this way. But as the naïve 18-year-old I was, it certainly scratched a mental itch that I hadn’t known existed up to that point.

I’d like to think I’ve got a grip about what this track is about. Maybe it’s not as clear-cut as I think it is. But I’ve always seen it as song about an apathetic person who’s thinks life is all right, trying to find the exciting stuff in it, but it’s mostly the same experiences each day. They’ve got a friend or a significant other who pretty much feel the same way, and it’s with that common link that they get along with each other than most other people. All in all though, they’re not very impressed with a lot that goes on. The lyrics do introduce a theme of living in the now, but the track itself doesn’t resolve that theme in the most positive way. That’s not until the album’s final track. And it’s with that uncertainty that we’re left with a fine album opener. Always have a good time with this one.

#936: Cloud Nothings – No Thoughts

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All I can remember about ‘No Thoughts’ is that it was the last track from Cloud Nothings’ Here and Nowhere Else album that I added to my phone library. Now there were 5/8’s of the record instead of just half. I heard Here and Nowhere Else within the first week of its release in April 2014. There were tracks that immediately became favourites, two of which I’ve covered in this series. There were those I weren’t so keen on. ‘No Thoughts’ fell under a bit of a sleeper category. I’m sure I liked it, but clearly not enough. May have been a year or two until I really got it. And when it hit, it was instant.

Like the other tracks on ‘Nowhere Else’, ‘No Thoughts’ is propelled onward by harsh, overdriven guitar and a pummelling rhythm section, most notably driven by the crushing rush of Jayson Gerycz drums. Despite the wild nature of the band performance, the song is also carried by a great melody within the lyrics which helps bring some stability. One thing you have to admit about this track is… well, it’s a bit repetitive. But not in the way that repetition can irk some people. The second verse is the same as the first, but with a few subtle changes of words here and there. The chorus though, and the bridge, are made up of just one phrase or two. Just want to clarify I’m not complaining here. There’s something about the lyrical simplicity matched with the intensity of the music that all in all results in a fantastic combination.

That’s all I gotta say, I think. Just a great three-minute rush of noise rock on show here. A good time’s always had when hearing it, even if it does almost as quickly as it starts.

#684: Cloud Nothings – Just See Fear

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The last of the Js. Told you the Js wouldn’t last that long. Though I did take a break whilst doing them. There aren’t a lot of songs I have on here beginning with K too. I’ll probably wait a bit before going straight into those though. If anyone’s reading these, thank you for doing so. I get rather small viewings on here. But I don’t do it for those. I just like to share my favourite music with people. I want to try and branch out onto other topics on here. But this is really all I know… and strongly care about. There’s still more to come.

So the last track for now comes from Cloud Nothings’ album from 2014 – Here and Nowhere Else. That album turns six in April though I remember listening to it continuously in its first few weeks of release. That and Mac DeMarco’s Salad Days. Those were good times. ‘Just See Fear’ was one of the many songs on Nowhere Else that impressed me from the get go. It was, for a while, my favourite song on the whole thing. As time has gone on my preference for others in comparison to this has increased, but whenever ‘Fear’ arrives on shuffle the endorphin rush settles in.

Like all of its fellow tracks, ‘Just See Fear’ is a powerful and intense noise rock track held together by the thunderous drumming of Jayson Gerycz and guitar work from lead vocalist from Dylan Baldi. It was in this album that the band had only one guitarist after the departure of Joe Boyer who played on previous album Attack on Memory, so Baldi takes on the role of both rhythm and lead guitarist mimicking his vocal lines as well as just generally keeping along with the tempo. His words aren’t very clear to hear. But if you’re into melody then there’s plenty of it. Things really pick in the last minute though; the guitar seems to rise in volume as Gerycz goes even crazier on the drums with these crazy rolls and cymbal crashes as Baldi goes on to scream incomprehensible syllables. It’s a climactic section that makes the release all the much better when it flies straight back into the final chorus.

There you go. I’ll be back again.