Wild Nothing

The hottest group of 2010 was, without a doubt, Wild Nothing.  Now, I don't usually make such bold claims in my life, because I have gotten burned many times before.  In this case though, the buzz machine agrees with me.  How novel!

Wild Nothing is the moniker that Jack Tatum, of Blacksburg, Virginia, uses for his shimmering, nostalgic pop creations.  Although quite banal by now, at least in the context of music critiques, "nostalgic" is a most fitting adjective for an artist whose hit single, "Chinatown," heavily samples a melody from "La Pluie du Ciel," a largely unknown 1960s pop song by Yé-yé icon, Chantal Goya.  Have a listen.

Many of you may see where this is going.  In fact, what draws my ire is not Tatum's unannounced usage of that tune -- which resulted in a noticeably different, yet excellent dream pop track -- but instead, that this went unnoticed by every major music critic over the past year.  This includes NME, BBC, AMG, and even the all-knowing "journalists" in Chicago.  When I informed my friends several months ago, even they expressed surprise that this had not yet been revealed.  In essence, if only a medical student (and one obscure blogger in August, to give credit where it is due) is aware of this, what's to be inferred about the current state of music journalism?  Any response, Mr. Klosterman?

Now, writers' shortcomings shouldn't detract from Tatum's fine debut, Gemini, and follow up EP, Golden Haze.  These two releases feature some of the best dream pop I've heard since its heyday in the mid 1980s.  The familiar Smiths-like jangly guitars are there in full force, along with percussive effects like synth clicks and taps that propel the songs forward, uniquely adding an element of surrealism to these already trance-like tracks.

Despite some insouciant synth claps and strings though, Tatum's vocals are far from happy -- in fact, they're without any affect whatsoever.  Instead of singing, his emotional burden is so great, it seems, that he can only muster up a continuous sigh, one that is tortuously forced to remain a part of the dreamy, disorienting discord that is all but oblivious to his ongoing pain.  It's a depressing, melancholy affair, though one that provides a strange, perverse pleasure to the listener. 

I've provided four videos below, but this is still insufficient.  In order to truly appreciate everything Wild Nothing has to offer, please enjoy the album in its entirety.  It's a masterpiece.

Albums:  Golden Haze EP (2010), Gemini (2010)

Tracks:  Golden Haze, Take Me In, Live in Dreams, Summer Holiday, O Lilac, Chinatown, Our Composition Book