Wild Nothing seemingly materialised from nowhere with 2010 debut Gemini, an album that took it’s mastermind Jack Tatum by as much surprise as the substantial audience it ended up reaching. As a Virginia Tech student making music in his spare time at home, Tatum was approached by Captured Tracks who upon coming across some promising demo’s proposed he put together an album for them. The result was some hefty praise in indie circles and a heavy dose of touring, something that hadn’t even crossed the then 20 year old’s mind when the records’ 12 tracks were submitted to the label.
Gemini operated on a scale of intimacy not dissimilar to what fellow bedroom artist Youth Lagoon brought to us with last years The Year of Hibernation and while his 2nd outing – Nocturne – due for release August 28 maintains the inwardly contemplative aesthetic, Tatum has fleshed out these songs with a richer depth that becomes more apparent with each spin.
Steeped in 80’s indie pop traditions, there’s an understated elegance built into what Wild Nothing represents, taking place in the effortless half-consciousness between dream and reality. Abundant with irresistable reverb laden guitar riffs that would make Robert Smith and co. proud, the individual notes twinkle across a galaxy of stars that are just as likely to be stuck to a bedroom ceiling as the night sky.
A recurrence of muscular beats pin the whole thing down, a grounding that prevents it’s fantastical qualities from being allowed to lift these songs up and float away into the intangible darkness. This is a collection of musings on being in love delivered less through words than vivid soundscapes that speak knowingly and more thoroughly than anything possible in a verbal capacity.
Opener ‘Shadow’ kicks things off with some exceptionally cosy verses and a nod to the increased scale of this production with it’s incorporation of strings. Title track and highlight ‘Nocturne’s hazy chiming guitar magnificently illuminates things, and in conjunction with some more organic undertones is enough evidence to support the insistence that “You can have me all”.
‘Only Heather’ starts off as the most heart warming expression of infatuation you’ll hear this year. If ‘swooning’ were an audible act it would probably sound a lot like the ‘ooh’s’ that rise like steam from Tatum’s confession that “Only Heather can make me feel this way”. However the second half of the story hints that all is not what it seems, a more melancholic inflection on those same words dimming the sentiment like a cloud passing in front of the sun.
‘Paradise’ is allowed time to breathe and meander through an extended interlude of woozy synth that floats back and forth between left and right headphone. It’s a welcome diversion from the 3 minute pop mould and possible pointer toward the kind of territory Wild Nothing could head in the future.
Closer ‘Rheya’s shimmering keys and echo-drenched guitar pluck of the Disintegration variety preludes an exquisite instrumental finale that reveals an increasing repetoire of tricks on the way to conclusion.
After the seismic life changes Tatum went through on the back of gaining such immediate and unexpected notoriety with his first effort, Nocturne is quite an achievement. All the newly acquired experience, in conjunction with the guidance of producer Nicolas Vernhes has resulted in a bolder and more focused statement than it’s predecessor whilst retaining the personality of Gemini that attracted so many fans. Despite it’s heart on sleeve influences Wild Nothing are anything but a cheap knock off band. Tatum instead transports us back to the ‘C86’ era as an artist whose burgeoning talent could easily have made him a major player in it’s emergence the first time around.
jimmyfandangle 