Snares Like a Haircut
Details
LP / Format
Drag City / Label
Tags
Sign In to rate and review
CRITIC REVIEWS
100
No Age are one of those rare bands who can be all things to all punks, from art-school noise types in their lofts to teenagers squabbling in the streets below – and they are in the form of their lives.
90
It's art with a beat, noise with hooks, and more proof that No Age are one of the great slept-on bands of their generation.
88
It’s what you should put on when you don’t want to think; aggressive, enveloping, and with just enough of a bite to corroborate your deeply held belief that you’re not one of them.
83
Rather than retreading the duo’s winning formula of ruthless hooks, primitive drums, and guitars looped into endless strata, Snares makes it bigger, brighter, and more polished than ever.
80
No Age’s noise was never exactly tormented, but there are times on this record when they sound almost carefree, or at least in reach of it.
80
At their peak, and not infrequently on Snares Like a Haircut they’re within touching distance, No Age are one of the most thrilling rock bands on this planet.
80
Time away hasn’t dulled No Age’s musical sword - they’re sharper and brighter than ever.
80
Their first album for Drag City after three on Sub Pop, Snares Like a Haircut is also No Age’s most dynamic collection by some margin—their version of a proper rock record. If its nervous system is running on hooks and speed, then its blood is sublime, sparkling noise and emotion.
80
Not everyone will listen to No Age and hear the gems hidden inside the fuzz. But for a certain listener – one perhaps in thrall to the alternative rock of days gone by, and looking for a modern band who recapture that spark – Snares Like A Haircut will land like manna from heaven.
80
The duo is older and more experienced, but their core conviction hasn’t changed.
80
This could be great, messy pop music, or just as easily be something you dreamt, dozing in post-coital bliss with a detuned radio in the background. Whichever it is, you’ll just be glad it exists.
80
This is a record that—subtly, subconsciously—offers some kind of solace while also invoking the unnerving and disquieting times we live in.
75
There's real gratification for the fan when an album finds a balance held by intact identity and expansion of the dimension in which it resides. Snares Like a Haircut achieves this by introducing an almost shoegaze sensibility to their galvanic art punk. The refreshing assortment is evidence that in this territory, No Age have no equal.
70
Snares Like a Haircut might be their most accessible and uplifting record yet; released in a time of social decay, it's a statement that rings loud and clear.
70
Snares Like A Haircut is a good rock album that continues No Age’s streak of making good rock albums.
70
A decade on from their debut album, No Age is still delivering visceral and sound-rich rock music.
70
At its best, No Age was a near-perfect melding of adventurousness and accessibility, and its latest album, Snares Like a Haircut is the most consistent melding of the two extremes since the band first caught attention with Weirdo Rippers.
60
Snares seems like a long EP – one that ends before it really gets going.
50
There are occasional remnants of experimentation, namely in the ambient touches to the title track and ‘Third Grade Rave’, but the defining feature of ‘Snares Like A Haircut’ is its fuzzy chords and no-nonsense attitude, which isn’t so bad, but isn’t so strong.
These aging punk rockers incorporate dream rock and ambience into the most accessible album in their discography. Equal parts energizing and contemplative, Snares Like a Haircut gives the audience an album that can be listened to in your early 20’s or during your midlife crisis.
Snares Like a Haircut è un’altalena tra rumore e melodia, un lavoro più sperimentale per gli standard dei No Age e per questo un pò meno immediato, ma pieno di coraggio e di ambizione. Dinamismo ed energia sono i due termini che balzano immediatamente in mente ascoltando i caotici momenti più noise-dream-pop che si alternano a tracce lo-fi di punk rock tiratissimo e senza fronzoli, tratti shoegaze grezzi dall’atmosfera rarefatta e salti quasi ambient ... read more
Boring. I know that I don't love an album when I check how many songs are left until the end. Despite it loosing its magic about half way through, it is a solid enough record. The best tracks are reliable, wall-of-sound rock number. But in a year filled to the brim with noisy punk-flavored rock (stellar albums like Songs for Praise and Wide Awake! come to mind) this record feels inessential.
Best Track: Cruise Control
Best Track: Cruise Control
Purchasing Snares Like a Haircut from Amazon helps support Album of the Year. Or consider a donation?
stereogum.com
New Track: No Age – “Head Sport Full Face” 
stereogum.com
New Track: No Age – “Feeler” 
stereogum.com
New Track: No Age – “Turned To String” 
Become a Donor
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Donor badge, no ads + more benefits.
Advertisement
Year End Lists
| #38 | / | Thrillist |
| #45 | / | No Ripcord |
Track List
- Cruise Control
- Stuck In the Changer
- Drippy
- Send Me
- Snares Like a Haircut
- Tidal
- Soft Collar Fad
- Popper
- Secret Swamp
- Third Grade Rave
- Squashed
- Primitive Plus
Advertisement
Added on: October 10, 2017