Here and Nowhere Else

Carpark Records has become my go-to label for sentimental entertainment value. Last year's Speedy Ortiz 'Major Arcane' was a vibrant tour de force for 90's indie rock iconography. 'Here and Nowhere Else' casts its gaze toward the transcendent messed-up fun and vitality of the indie label scene of the 1980's. It's not that Cloud Nothings is a facsimile of any 80's band; it's more that their vibe leaves me brandishing the same post-revelatory smile that those bands did. Dylan Baldi vocals walk the boundary between composure and excess that was the endearing trademark of Paul Westerberg on such tracks as 'Take Me Down To The Hospital' and 'We're Coming out' (most noticeable as he squalls "swallow" on 'Give Into Seeing'') or Paul Searchy on just about any Squirrel Bait track.Then there are times, most notable in the astonishingly realized last 30 seconds of 'No Thoughts', where he find his own rapture and, well, I don't bother seeking out comparisons. His Midwestern Emo preoccupations broadcast psychic disassociation's commonly associated with the re-prioritizing and refashioning of one's inner-life as one matures. Mr. Baldi does not put on airs, and he represents a person that I always root for.'Here and Nowhere Else's' Low-Fi production values facilitate Cloud Nothings' ability to provoke an emotional response in the listener by virtues of not distracting from (or filtering-out) their emotional relationship to the music -The communication remains crisp and uncluttered in all directions. Husker Du's pop anthem classic 'Celebrating summer' did much the same. "Process speak" of Lo-Fi Vs. Hi-Fi is for nothing, however, without insightful and entertaining song craftsmanship worthy of processing, and Mr. Baldi has firmly established on this LP that he is a consummate songwriter. Despite 'Attack On Memory's' virtues, I suspect that this material is more inline with Mr. Baldi's creative reflexes. Of course, perseverating on who is producing/engineering Cloud Nothings' LP "this time" and/or peering into the archive is reductionist and by no means does 'Here and Nowhere Else' justice. Cloud Nothings do elevate themselves from the indie-rock root tradition, particularly with their affinity for hook saturated post-punk-power-pop. What's more, Mr. Baldi is forthright and generous in his appreciation for contemporary mainstream pop music generally.This briskly paced and rhythm-centric LP concludes with two tracks that diverge in important ways from their siblings. Cloud Nothings are not shy pursuing awkwardly time and executed minor tempo changes. This works for them because the musical bridge, while it sometimes languishes, always arrives at some brilliant idea. Track 7, on the other hand, represents a more sophisticated execution of Mr. Baldi's tendency for structural adventurousness. The spritly Track 8 unashamedly and boldly embraces an upbeat and mainstream vibe and outlook. Cloud Nothings have demonstrated over the course of the past few years that they are a band with considerable range and upside. For the time being, I'm well served to be content with what's directly in my field of view.

I really love this record. I think it shows growth in a way I didn't expect from this band. The first few listen throughs I felt like things really molded together but the more I listened the more each song took on it's own personality. Really great band, and I love the melodies Dylan comes up with vs what the band is doing. Going back and comparing it to Attack On Memory was sort of what made me give this a 4 star though, just because I wish there was a little bit more diversity, but then again it's a pretty straight rock record and it totally still kicks ass. Guess that last part is just more of a personal preference.

My favorite album of 2014 so far, with "I'm Not Part Of Me" probably my favorite 2014 song. Opener "Now Hear In" and "Psychic Trauma" are also standouts and heavily played on the local college station. Hoping to catch their October Philly show at UT.

Record is slightly warped. Cover is crushed and damaged in two places. Seller should upgrade packaging for shipping records to avoid this. Seems like it plays decent but definitely damaged goods.

Ironically, listening to this album, with its peppy, tightly wound ultra-melodic teen angst, makes me feel old. There was a time around 1995-1996 when every band on modern rock radio sounded like this, and as a teenager it was assumed that future rock music would always sound more or less like Bush. However since the distorted guitar has been effectively out of style since the Vines released Highly Evolved in 2002, hearing this record is fairly startling; it's a sobering reminder that it has been a very long time since any band has tried to sincerely copy Nirvana. Or maybe just copy the Foo Fighters. Like Dave Grohl, frontman Dylan Baldi has a tendency to take any melody, good or bad, and make you like it through sheer vocal force. Fortunately for Baldi, there aren't many bad melodies on this record. However, there's a certain nimble quality to Baldi's songwriting that prevents any of his great hooks from sinking in; he can't sit on any musical idea for more than 20 seconds without completely changing the chord pattern to introduce something new. Which means that no song (except the last two, the more patiently paced "Pattern Walks" and the perfect pop single "I'm Not Part of Me") has a singular identity. All the melodic chunks of each song could belong to any song, meaning the first six songs might as well be one long piece of music.This album would have stood out in 1995, simply because I'm Not Part of Me is an absolutely fantastic single. If you like this song, and like the idea of listening to a band that sounds like Green Day putting on their best Foo Fighters imitation, then buy the record. It's a gnarly piece of grunge punk pop that will have you singing along even if you have no idea which song you're listening to.

Favorite Band. It's probably their best album even though it doesn't have my favorite songs of theirs (Fall In, Wasted Days, Heartbeat), though some new additions like No Thoughts, Pattern Walks, are pretty awesome.

Fantastic album. Good rock kinda punk record

Great album by a great band. Go vinyl!

According to Cleveland rocker Dylan Baldi himself the artwork for his new LP, Here And Nowhere Else, was rushed out last minute when demanded by the label. It’s a simple shot from his bedroom window that in the end proved quite artistic. With Baldi thus thriving on impulsive and instinctive direction and with 2012’s successful switch from pop-punk to post-hardcore in mind, Here And Nowhere Else is surprising only for being his most predictable move to date.It’s an LP that, despite plenty of anger, feels less explosive than its predecessor Attack On Memory and one that lands somewhere between his two personae as a result. Baldi’s guitars are still turned way up, the marauding tempos still pile up too – in fact it’s an album that only lets up for the first time during the middle part of the sprawling penultimate track, “Pattern Walks”, an otherwise disorientating wall of noise similar to Attack On Memory’s “Wasted Days”. Baldi’s way with strong melodies is intact too, Here And Nowhere Else therefore offering an absorbing collection of grunge-pop fuzz in iconic producer Steve Albini’s absence.Does this all mean Baldi hasn’t upped his game? Well, perhaps (see the disappointing “Just See Fear”), but his trademark blowouts are taken to the next level here and, along with his stronger tracks, such as the loud-quiet-loud mess “Psychic Trauma”, they provide more than satisfactory compensation. At his best when he’s at his loudest therefore tracks like the solid, near stadium-sized punk-rock closer seem to lose out in comparison to, say, the thrashed-out emo of “Giving Into Seeing” on which Baldi digs out his best Bleach-era razor gargle. And there’s no contest when it comes to “No Thoughts”, which drips with bile and armchair nihilism, its spittle-flecked, speaker-blown finale destined to be yelled straight back in his face.Here And Nowhere Else is ultimately the sound of Baldi flying by the seat of his pants, dialing in the angst for the most part, but he’s getting away with it with sheer exuberance and momentum. Maybe that off-the-cuff artwork was part of the loosest plan in history all along.Best tracks: “Psychic Trauma” and “No Thoughts”

Absolutely flawless album from start to finish

HERE AND NOWHERE ELSE, est effectivement un album de très bon rock indépendant. Tous les morceaux sont parfaits et forment un ensemble très homogène. Je recommande également les autres albums de ce groupe qui sont du même acabit.

Ottima band, sempre melodici e con belle canzoni, la versione che ho avuto io è limitata e con vinile colorato!

Buena banda, y mejor canción "i'm not part of you"!!!. Muy recomendable, para todo el que aprecie la buena musica🎸🎸