Dance on the Blacktop
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CRITIC REVIEWS
83
Unlike just about every other band on earth, NOTHING is at its best when it closes itself off and spins into oblivion.
80
By nature, shoegaze bands often sound weighty and miserable, but Nothing's nine new songs unsurprisingly wear their grim nature on sleeve.
80
Everything that Nothing have recorded so far has been worthy of your attention; Dance On The Blacktop is no exception.
80
It's too bad more personal tragedy is what it took to right the ship, but Nothing's third album is a worthy successor to their great debut.
80
For their new album, Nothing hit listeners with walls of sound and deep effects to make you think. While sometimes more straightforward than others, their music has a consistently interesting edge to it.
80
What initially feels like a watered-down sequel to a totally unique album reveals itself to be an impressive demonstration of dream-pop art brut.
71
On their third album, the Philadelphia shoegaze band’s tried-and-true arrangements are not terribly original, but they are deeply felt.
70
Dance on the Blacktop is not a new Nothing, it's just Nothing in new clothes, and it is probably a Smashing Pumpkins T-shirt.
70
Dance is best enjoyed when you accept its familiar pleasures - it bursts with pure deliverance, coming from a band that refuses to hang in life support.
68
By now, NOTHING has mastered the heavy shoegaze toolbox; Blacktop tweaks the style but doesn’t meaningfully depart from what the band has already accomplished.
60
On Dance On the Blacktop, NOTHING burrow into the filth and double down on the harsher elements of their sound, with mixed results.
60
Nothing's third album is something of a safe bet: fans of the band and/or genre will still enjoy this, while Agnello's name being attached may turn a few extra heads, but it is feasible that the whole 'nu-shoegaze' movement is running out of steam.
50
Nothing’s moments of respite, whether dips in energy or detours into other bands’ music, never let Dance on the Blacktop become whole.
solid and reliable work from Philly shoegazers settling into their "veteran" status after only three records. the proper analogy here is Airiel. as Airiel is to Chicago, so Nothing is to Philadelphia. there are many worse fates for a band than to be the best shoegaze band from a major metro area. let's hope they continue to wear the mantle gracefully.
Nothing tries to be unique with as minimal effort as possible.
A self-proclaimed "shoegaze" band, Nothing tries making simple alt-rock tunes and downgrading the recording quality so as to sound DIY or lo-fi, but their tone doesn't pair well with this kind of production. It sounds like a 2010 album traveled back in time and was re-released in the early 90s, and I know on the face of that statement, it sounds like something to be excited for, but this album is pretty lackluster to me. ... read more
A self-proclaimed "shoegaze" band, Nothing tries making simple alt-rock tunes and downgrading the recording quality so as to sound DIY or lo-fi, but their tone doesn't pair well with this kind of production. It sounds like a 2010 album traveled back in time and was re-released in the early 90s, and I know on the face of that statement, it sounds like something to be excited for, but this album is pretty lackluster to me. ... read more
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Track List
- Zero Day
- Blue Line Baby
- You Wind Me Up
- Plastic Migraine
- Us/We/are
- Hail on Palace Pier
- I Hate the Flowers
- The Carpenter's Son
- (Hope) Is Just Another Word with a Hole in It
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Added on: June 14, 2018