Music Review

Gemini

Album | Wild Nothing
By T. Cole Rachel

Late '80s bedroom pop for a new generation.

Wild Nothing is Jack Tatum, a one-man band from Blacksburg, Virginia who crafts dreamy pop music that sounds more like late-'80s college rock than late '80s college rock actually does. Employing an ocean of fuzzy synth sounds and jangly guitars that would bring a smile to Johnny Marr’s face, Tatum’s full-length debut, Gemini, is a swoon-appropriate retro-pop masterpiece. Though he owes a huge debt to 4AD’s back catalog, Wild Nothing’s music is much more than just a simple homage to alt-pop’s past. Tracks like “Live in Dreams” and “Confirmation” are true bedroom classics: equal parts maudlin teen romance gone wrong and wistful ruminations on love and escapism. Gemini will make you nostalgic for the 120 Minutes era even if you weren't there the first time around.

TAGS: ephemeral, indie-pop, Jangly, new wave, romantic, shoegaze, synthy,

FACTS: Released: May 25, 2010 (Zoom Records); Duration: 42:37

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