Attack on Memory

On their third full-length in as many years, Cleveland native Dylan Baldi and his band Cloud Nothings have turned a creative corner. 2010's Turning On and 2011's self-titled effort held their own as skuzzy rock records for analog enthusiasts, but didn't exactly hint Baldi was on to much else. If anything, it seemed Cloud Nothings might have been best suited for embracing their bratty punk rock side and writing the sequel to Blink-182's Dude Ranch. But think again: Attack On Memory is a different record entirely. Thank Steve Albini -- the eight-song LP flashes a much cleaner sound, with the hooky vocal melodies of "Fall In" the most striking example. But that's not to say fans of Male Bonding and old Black Lips records should turn away. You've still got your slacker anthems ("Stay Useless") and your frenzied cries of "No future!" ("No Future/No Past") to balance things out, and besides, Attack On Memory is a far more interesting record than either of its predecessors. Under Albini's watchful eye, Cloud Nothings successfully pull off the (almost) ten-minute song with "Wasted Days," a particularly jarring tour de force that starts out with hints of structure, only to dive into a chaotic five-minute breakdown before the loose ends are somehow brought back together in the end.