Record of the Week

The Non – Tadaima

OFFICIAL SITE OF THE NON
THE NON ON MYSPACE

Wil, the lead guitar player for Oklahoma City’s The Non, gave a copy of their 2007 debut Paper City to a 2nd-grade teacher and she played “Komodo” for the eager young listeners. In response, one child said, “It makes me happy! It makes me sad!;” another, “I feel like jazz;” and another said the music, “makes me want to be superman and save the world.” These often contradictory emotions match the frantically tangential avant-garde/not-quite postrock of The Non. The quartet packs the expansive theatricality of arena rock into a constrained, possibly, uncomfortable space. (Think of Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.) Opener “No Spark, No Fire” drops the listener on the crest of a tidal wave, practically at the peak of a noise-laden crescendo. Effectively, you get all of the cathartic pay off without the (apparently) unnecessary buildup. Tadaima’s track titles are evocative, perhaps on account of their simplicity: “Cloud Collision” is a fairly unmemorable title, but the song’s surprising tones, time signatures, and effects undulate together until sparring thunderheads seem to be the intended imagery. Tadaima is a big, in-your-face album trapped a deceptively small package. It’s just trying to get out is all.

Events

David Daniell & Douglas McCombs @ Triple Rock!

NLP is proud to help promote the following epic instrumental concerts in the Twin Cities. If you would like information about your event posted here, contact Chris and Joe at chrisandjoe[at]nowlikephotographs[dot]com: