Ohio's self-proclaimed 'pop' group, Cloud Nothings, set the blogosphere ablaze in the earlier months of this year with their sleazy, lo-fi hazes and simple but effective lyrics, their songs suffused with pop-punk barre chords and melodies. Now having changed their mindset somewhat, frontman Dylan Scaldi recently promised us that their debut LP would in fact not feature the 'lo-fi scuzz' so much(!); they would in fact move away from the rock n roll NOISE reminiscent of groups such as Wavves and LoVVers, and would instead highlight their pop sensibilities on the forthcoming record.
Indeed, in 'Understand at all' they have fulfilled this to some extent.... there's certainly less droneage - this time replaced with more adventurous, early Green Day-esque vocal ranges. There are cascading guitar jangles, and speedy chord changes, but the tune is still impounded with that huge distortion and homely effect we heard on the earlier EPs. This is for the best; the outcome is a ragged but tuneful, succinct beam of a song - one that leaves me eagerly awaiting this full-length release of theirs.
Cloud Nothings tour the UK quite extensively this november, taking in a joint-headlining tour /w Veronica Falls and a few support dates with Les Savy Fav.
