You Talk In Code

No Age “An Impression”

I’ve had trouble connecting with No Age’s records in the past because I’ve always perceived a strange diffidence at the center of their music and it undermined the energy and physicality of their punky songs. It seems obvious to me that their more ambient side was a more accurate representation of who they are – more introverted, less confrontational. Their third album, An Object, fully embraces this side of their music while also upping their game as songwriters, expanding their textural palette, and pushing the vocals up to the surface of the music. It’s a far more confident work, and a lot more emotionally rich. “An Impression,” a pretty but dead-eyed ballad, owes a lot to both Brian Eno and Wire: Delicate and emotionally fragile, but also icy and remote. I’m always fascinated by these kinds of songs — it’s the sound of a very stoic man allowing himself to feel something, but not too much.

Buy it from Amazon.