Nouns [Digipak] [With Book] (Digi-Pak)

Drummer/vocalist Dean Spunt and guitarist Randy Randall are No Age, an art punk duo with a new record, Nouns. There's a lot of amorphous noise here, but there's an underlying pop sensibility that makes this something subtly different than run-of-the mill junk. There are trance like elements and over-driven guitar riffs. There's also a refreshing amount of variety. The instrumental jam, "Keechie," is an atmospheric exploration, full of textural changes and haunting washes of sound. It's mellow and spooky, with beautiful guitar work, like the theme from an imaginary movie. "Keechie" is a dramatic shift from the caustic rage that opens the record. "Miner," the opener, is drenched in reverb and full of rage and strum und drang, with the guitar battling, and eventually overpowering the vocals. In all, the record offers a few distinctive downloads, and a spectrum of sonic textures.

One device that the enigmatic duo likes is a sly, cute intro, morphing into a full-out metal guitar riff. Another effective technique is a direct reference (to "Revolution" on "Sleeper Hold") melding into a warped pop anthem. These guys write songs, and in spite of a pretty aggressive effort to obscure them, the underlying forms and lyrics. "With passion, it's you" is a pretty sentimental feeling for such a tough record. Emotionally and musically this is raw, but thoughtful.

The key to Nouns is raucous, kinetic energy. While there's variety, the primary impulse of the 12 short cuts on the record is speed. If you listened to the aptly titled Weirdo Rippers, you'll get the idea that Randall and Spunt have incorporated some of those experiments into more song-based stuff on Nouns. The opening of "Impossible Bouquet" is beautifully exotic and dense, filled with texture. There's plenty of noisy fuzz, but there's plenty of music too. On tracks like "Ripped Knees" and "Things I Did When I Was Dead" the song structure is pure indie pop. The ambient sounds folded into the songs give them a cinematic quality, as if there's something else going on just out of discernable earshot. The effect is disarming and exotic. In the indie mode, there are plenty of rhythmic change-ups and complex arrangements. The chord progressions and vocal lines are simple, the context is the key.

The genre that Nouns lives in is by definition, undefined. This movement all started in Andy Warhol's kitchen. This music is complex and insidious. There's lots of sound, lots of samples, lots of distractions. The raw fervor and emotion on Nouns is palpable. Spunts voice is unremarkable, but utilized as an element, not the lead, in most songs. The melding of influences and elements, all at a breakneck pace, make this one of the most interesting records in the experimental, post-punk genre. It's weird. It's complicated. It's fierce. It's good.