Inside Noise Week of 1/26
This week, we finally got back up and running from the new year’s retail slump. Here’s two noteworthy releases to really get 2024 going in the realm of big indie and major label releases!
It’s Sorted by Cheekface
America's local band Cheekface returns with their new record It's Sorted, yet another collection of catchy, comical indie tracks that hit a little too close to home. Shining a light on the unglamorous aging process within a formerly vibrant creative community, this record fights tooth and nail to keep the dream and the revolution alive, all while lampooning the inconveniences of adulthood. Endearing, bouncy guitar leads and harmonized talk-singing put an artifically happy face on 24/7 surveillence, rampant overconsumption, and all sorts of other things we may choose to ignore in our daily lives. Of course, with Cheekface, we're forced to take a look around and remind ourselves of all of the absolutely rediculous behaviors we participate in in this late capitalist world, an exercise which feels refreshing in the presence of such delightful, energetic power pop. We have everything we want here: it's catchy, it's bright, it's relatable, it's Cheekface. 7/10.
Wall of Eyes by The Smile
A good chunk of the members of Radiohead got together to make a new album with their side project, The Smile. This album, called Wall of Eyes, continues down the trajectory that Radiohead has been facing towards since In Rainbows, taking an understated sonic approach to Thom Yorke's persistent mortal anxieties. Rather than bounding up and down the dynamic cliffs of these musicians' earlier work, the music here swells gradually, emulating (and at times downright including) a symphony orchestra. Despite the album taking a slowly arcing, atmospheric approach, The Smile fills this thing to the brim with memorable melodies and riffs, granting each track its own unmistakable identity. Of course, I'm a bit sad to see the members' efforts go here instead of to Radiohead, but if they keep making material this strong I'll let it slide. 8/10.
