Typesetter

Nothing Blues

Written by: PP on 22/04/2019 21:56:34

Here's a straggler from 2018 that I couldn't let go of without a review, for so closely does Typesetter emulate the beloved emo sound of Moneen throughout their sophomore album "Nothing Blues" and as such, strike incredibly close to my heart as a music reviewer. The world needs more Moneen albums, period, is what I'm basically saying. Anyway, "Nothing Blues" is actually a rather surprising album from Typesetter considering their 2014 debut "Wild's End" was basically what you get when you mix together Red City Radio style Midwestern punk with the layered wall of sound by a band like Signals Midwest. So it's a somewhat dramatic shift stylistically speaking to discover "Nothing Blues" to be a softly spoken, laid back, indie-flavored emo record rather than full of rough edges, hoarse vocals, uptempo melodies driven by treble-charged guitars, and that sort of stuff.

But it just so turns out that Typesetter's radical transformation has born fruit on "Nothing Blues". It's every Moneen lover's wet dream, featuring sparkling emo melodies with so much detail included that you'll need multiple listens to uncover it all. We all know what that means, right? Longevity, longevity, longevity. A song like "Real Conversations With Imaginary Friends" is, therefore, such a rewarding listen long-term as you start to absorb the faded background screams in the midst of complex guitars and an overall blissful soundscape. And what about "Monogamy II (Bad Actor)"? What a banger of a track: if this doesn't raise the hairs on your back with its classic early 2000s emotional charge attached to the soothing vocal work, and remind you of Moneen's best work, then this genre simply isn't for you.

A track like "Only" explores elements of post-rock during its softly sung, prolonged "Your onlyyyyyy" chants that revolve around the soundscape in echoing fashion. Elsewhere, the band toys with callout-response style melodies echoing classic Taking Back Sunday on their debut album, so some emo/pop-punk flavor is also in the mix, but primarily, the record is about indie-flavored, soothing emo the way the genre was meant to be played. Twinkly, sparkling guitars meet a variety of vocal styles and song structures for a rich, intricate listening experience that showcases the best sides of emo from a nostalgic perspective while staying just fresh enough not to sound derivative or dated.

8

Download: Monogamy II (Bad Actor), Monogamy I (Gliss Happening), Regardless, Real Conversations With Imaginary Friends, Only
For the fans of: Moneen, (old) Taking Back Sunday, Boys Night Out, The Get Up Kids, Braid, Dikembe
Listen: Facebook

Release date 26.10.2018
6131 Records

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