[Kill Shaman; 2009]
Links: Night Control | Kill Shaman | Purchase on Insound
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Whether you agree with his childish politics or not, Nathan Williams can be considered somewhat of an accidental pioneer. With his now infamous band Wavves being the subject of blogger headlines for over a year now, Williams truly did open the doors for many. While Wavves may not be the most intelligent, heartfelt or pleasurable music to listen to, the hype associated with their lo-fi bedroom rock established an acceptable standard for others. Overly distorted guitars, vocals, drums…and well, nearly god-damn everything soon began filling the internet, and with the internet being what it is, it is often hard to filter the shit from the pure ear candy.
Upon listening to Night Control’s Death Control, it’s a bit hard to not feel conflicted. Death Control is essentially the workings of Christopher Curtis Smith and nameless friends, being the result of an accumulation of varying mp3’s, four track tapes and aiff’s over ten years. A lone kid recording lo fi music. Check. Self-proclaimed pop sensibilities. Check. Based in California. Check. On paper, Night Control is just another sole sailor looking to make some noisy ripples. However, Death Control truly separates it self from other solo artists who are merely howling in a sea of reverb.
So, what sets apart Smith’s workings from the countless other shit kickers out there trawling through the internet? In the simplest of terms, it is basically just a very thought out record. And you would kind of expect it to be if it was the workings of ten years. It’s not as though the album will keep you smashing your face into walls for weeks in order to remove it’s tormentingly great melodies, and it’s not as though the song writing is of the most complex caliber. Smith isn’t really pioneering the wheel, but it rather is just turning it. Weighing in at a hefty run time of just 1.2 hours scattered over two discs, Death Control is a beautiful, yet hazy dream. With six string noodling reminiscent of the seventies hitting the right note every god damn time, it’s impossible to not be seduced by Night Control’s charm. If Smith aimed at producing an album that could be the soundtrack to your summer vacation movies, then he has rightfully succeeded. And this is not a bad thing. At all.
While it can distract you with it’s well established atmospheres, it’s own strengths act as it’s weaknesses. It tends to meander at moments, feeling lost within it’s own induced antics, with six minute tracks such as ‘- * – * – * -‘ feeling almost pointless. The concluding combination of ‘Those Girls’ and ‘For The Lanes’ also fit within this, seemingly lacking any real purpose. Very few risks are taken on Smith’s behalf, but when they are, they come out as experiments. They aren’t necessarily good or bad, but they are merely interesting to observe. ‘Trouble’ may be the records greatest departure, using hip hop inspired beats below a shrouded fog of sound. However, this is easily forgivable as other highlights such as ‘Star 131’ draw you into an amazing nostalgia, as a fevered mixture of acoustic and electric guitars build layer upon layer to carry you away and distract you.
If Death Control is the result of ten years work, it’s hard what question to ask first: Is this the best that Night Control has to offer after a decade of labour or will it be another ten years until we hear from him again?
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