After releasing dozens of live show tapes and a demo CD last spring, Cloud Nothings rolled out The Shadow I Remember this February, a year after the band’s 10th year anniversary. The album is noticeably gentler and more introspective than previous ones and was recorded with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio studios in Chicago for the second time since Attack on Memory. Other reviews have noted the self-reflection and questioning Dylan Baldi (guitar, vocals) portrays through the lyrics and it also shows through the upbeat sound.
Instead of packing tracks with thrashing discord that filled the previous album, Last Building Burning, the band leaves space to experiment and plays in a brighter tone. In “Nothing Without You,” Baldi has a back and forth with vocalist Macie Stewart during the chorus, then the lead guitar ties it off with a neat scale. Synth tones fill the air in “Nara” after a breezy guitar opening and ends with crashing drums mixed into the cocktail of indie rock sounds.
Instead of making declarative statements, the lyrics start asking questions. “Oslo” opens the album with resonant guitar and light piano, asking in the opening chorus: “Am I older now, or just another age? / Am I at the end or will there be another change?” “Am I Something” balls up sonic momentum as Baldi asks an existential question, “Does anybody living out there really need me?” as a bandmate screams it back to him.
With a few exceptions here, it seems like Cloud Nothings have taken a break from the harsh dissonance they would have in Last Building Burning or Attack on Memory. But instead of letting their sound deflate, their music has much-needed positive energy to start of a new decade already faced with challenge and conflict.
With The Shadow I Remember, Cloud Nothings has shown its talent and evolution, which has been recognized by influential figures many times in the band’s 10 year lifespan. For this writer, the band sits in the center of a culture of rock special to the 2010s that will grow sweeter in fans’ memories and it will continue flourish in new ways as time goes on.
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