There are certain buzz words that appear over and over again in album reviews: fuzzy, crunchy, dreamy, maturing, etc. They’re not genres, necessarily, but they’re words used to almost categorize a band’s sound down to Kingdom-Phylum-Class-Order-Family-Genus-Species status. They let you know exactly what you’re getting into before you even open the CD or, as is more likely, click to download. They’re useful, but some bands just deserve more. No Joy deserves more. While all of these “buzz” words can probably be applied to the group, No Joy has done something new in its new album, Wait to Pleasure, which transcends such specific classifications.
Wait to Pleasure is the follow up full length to the band’s 2010 debut, Ghost Blonde, released April 23 on Mexican Summer. The band has by no means abandoned its shoegaze personality, but Wait to Pleasure takes some bold steps close enough to the edge of a cliff to have our hearts (and ears) pounding without jumping off and losing us all together. The intricate guitar writing that they proved they’re capable of on Ghost Blonde is replaced with a more holistic approach to songwriting, creating an album that feels full and balanced.
Opening track “E” is a like a lullaby that wouldn’t be meant to put anybody to sleep. Wistful and delicate vocals complement a guitar that doesn’t shy away from feedback and a bass that makes its presence known loudly without interjecting any distraction to the song. This juxtaposition is a actually pretty constant theme throughout the album and similar vocal riffs even appear to be repeated in the album, giving the whole record a feel of continuity (but managing to do so without ever getting boring).
And then comes “Blue Neck Riviera.” This is the song that No Joy took the most risk with. In it the group continues to blend sounds that are not typically put together, but it goes beyond that hard-guitar, soft-voice pairing. Each part seems to have come from a different decade and somehow met, amiably, in 2013. The guitar takes on a Cure-esque vibe from the late 1980s while the drum machine producing almost hip-hop beats of the 2000s and vocals of today’s pop. This musically intergenerational composition eventually builds to another loud, heavy guitar –laden track to remind us that this is 2013 and this is No Joy.
Wait to Pleasure is available on iTunes and Amazon. Be sure to check back in for our coverage of No Joy at Austin Psych Fest, where they’ll be playing this Sunday April 28. Stay tuned!
