A must for any unconventional music lover!
by
Kimberly Raines
Welcome to the world of Stag, a being whisked away into the realm of humanity by “The Powers that Be”, a set of godly figures who are rather curious about the human existence. Building upon this basis, Boston-based Or Nothing present their first concept album (they have four albums in total) known as ‘Stag Nation’.
Stag, who quite literally has the skull of a stag in order to symbolize the typical “alpha male” as said by the band’s website, is sent down to Earth to experience many of the controversial happenings, topics, and overall human experiences that the Powers are highly intrigued about. "While he is supernatural, that was just a vehicle for me to bring into existence this adult male blank slate (and add some intrigue), " said Justin Novelline, the band's frontman. He represents people that I meet time and time again in my life that live with this thick wool over their eyes, walk around with permanent tunnel vision. Stag is my means of relating to them." Accompanying the record is a written account that gives a more novelistic approach to the concept. Currently, the first chapter ‘Aborigine’ details how Stag came to be and his born to purpose. This chapter goes along with the opening track under the same name.
From the get go, the album becomes exceedingly atmospheric, haunting almost, with a layer of a mechanic undertone throughout it all. The immediate adrenaline rush of “Bite Your Tongue” is seeping with hypnotic-like qualities which is analogous with the exposing lyrics of “the puppet strings that are weaved from lies” which society continually utilizes in its favor. ‘Lullaby’ is by the far the best song on the album which is saying much considering the fact that every song is superlative to say the least. It’s seven minutes long, unsettlingly calm at times, and has a storyline infused with Dante’s Inferno-esque qualities. At times, it feels like a demented circus of sorts, no chorus required may I add, that frequently calls for a chill to run down one’s spine.
The record concludes with ‘Animal Crackers’ which, music-wise, flows full circle with the first track, yet it feels finalizing for it is where Stag acknowledges how much the world needs to awaken from its stupor and just "throw a party." Overall, the darkly humorous portrayal of life as we know it is beyond impressive. In complete honesty, it’s inspirational to see a band bound past the limits of thoughtless words and creatively see the world in their own unique way. Although the band’s words have always produced thought provoking images when morphed into their infinite rhythm and beats, the level they have taken it to with this newest release is mesmerizing; they are constantly raising the bar for perfection.
With ten songs in all, it's definitely worth a listen, especially if one is on the look out for meaningful music. For more information on Or Nothing, visit ornothing.com
