Album Review: Nopes – Djörk

Sometimes when you’ve had a bad day and all seems lost, what you really need is some noise to shake the brain cells and finish off the job that started when you first awoke.  So enter Nopes, this being the bands third album, and actually a less “what the hell are they singing about” affair (well a little anyway), I’m not sure that you can have a heart to heart with the band on the lyrical content, at least no until you have dragged the loose wax out of your ears after its been heated to boiling point.

Anyway, lets drop the needle, hit play or tap the screen, which ever floats your boat.  ‘Pocket Square Motherfucker’ hits you squarely on the jaw with a scratchy noise filled power that punches the hell out of any ideas that this is gonna be a chill out 30 mins or so.  Bringing angst to the table and eating it all to themselves, Nopes are sure not gonna take prisoners, following on with ‘Smile Room’ and the ‘Under The Leather’, what is apparent with this album, is the pushing forward of the vocal, which in comparison to previous releases, has been given a less, lets push it into the background and bury it style.  

Not being one to pretend, I won’t even try to understand some of the song titles (hopefully the release comes with lyrics) or is that the point?  Either way, what your brain can pick out, is perfectly in keeping with the soundscape that thrashes around like a demented snake, and does bring me somewhat nicely to the Hot Snakes comparison that I was heading for, or a noisier Idles (if there is such a thing), songs like ‘Lithium Hop’ and ‘Reprieved’ respectively fit right in here.

The album as a whole doesn’t quite sit still though, its not a thrash garage affair from start to finish, there are some oddities that stand out and show how this band can switch up or down at any time, ‘Hihg’ for example, brings the calm that a rattle snakes hypnotic sound might, ready to strike back at you, at any moment.  ‘Amber Is The Colour Of Your Alert’ bucks the trend a little, it has a kind of playful quality that somehow drops what might be a jazz underbelly, not that I would have any idea if this were true or not, jazz escapes me.  So track 13, unlucky for some apparently, the last and longest chunk of, well whatever it wants to be, this song has a feeling of foreboding that hangs your bad day head back out to be picked at by the vultures, a lot of time spent hanging out frustrations to dry, was hoping for a shorter kill it off moment really, but hey that’s personal not a professional feeling.

Noise/Rock n Roll played with all the conviction of a band with a huge punk heart.

Released on January 29th, you can get this via Magnetic Eye Records

Or via the Bands BANDCAMP