Nouns

iTunes Review

In 2007, L.A. punk/noise duo No Age earned ink in the New Yorker, of all places, after releasing a collection of singles and EPs called Weirdo Rippers. Playing a type of particularly hazy, densely layered rock that sounds as if everything may fall apart at any given moment, drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall manage to create (and control) an amazing amount of pandemonium between the two of them. Nouns, their first studio full-length, has a more structured feel. “Sleeper Hold” and “Teen Creeps” are two fairly melodic tracks awash in waves of guitar feedback and effects. And there are moments of almost delicate art-rock pulchritude: the ambient “Keechie” and the twinkling “Things I Did” are sprung from Sonic Youth’s early experimental roots, and “Impossible Bouquet” is aptly named, a dark rose among the thorns. Fans of the rough stuff will dig the maelstrom that is “Errand Boy,” the punk rock of “Ripped Knees,” and “Miner,” with its pummeled drums and metallic guitars. “Here Should Be My Home” is the pop gem, buried towards the end, and along with “Cappo” and “Brain Burner” a good example of the influence of mid-‘90s indie pop demi-gods like Pavement.