Inc - No World

by Adrian Janes

published: 10 / 3 / 2013

Label: 4AD
Format: CD

Minimalist, but sophisticated and quietly powerful debut album from Inc., the project of Californian brothers, Andrew and Daniel Aged

Review

Californian brothers Andrew Aged (vocals, guitar) and Daniel (bass) have previously worked as session and touring musicians for luminaries like Cee-Lo Green. This experience underlies the level of sophistication that has evidently gone into the recording of 'No World'. Opener 'The Place' is indicative of what is to come, with its simple, cool electric piano, a vaguely Oriental synth melody and gently yearning vocal. The only somewhat jarring element is what sounds like a 1980's drum machine. 'Black Wings' begins with a mellow guitar phrase which is repeated throughout - repetition, both musical and lyrical, is a key technique of the album, whose tracks could often as well be called soundscapes as songs. (In the background of this song is a sound which evokes rain dripping in a vast cave.) Restraint is another characteristic, yet the band often achieve a quiet power, as here where the vocal and rhythm subtly grow together in intensity towards the end of the song. The eerie Leslied guitar of 'Lifetime' is set against the crack of agile rim-clicks and harmony vocals which are almost breathed rather than sung, while '5 Days' has a similar approach to 'The Place', albeit with one of the more distinctive melodies on the album. As so often, a particular detail - here, the sudden increase in depth of the drum sound as the song concludes - has an unexpected impact. Introduced by the picking out of synth notes that are reminiscent of 70's Stevie Wonder experimentation, 'Trust (Hell Below)', with its catchy descending synth and bass, is carried along by a gentle but irresistible swing. The barbs in its lyrics: “I’d take you there but I know you’d judge/I’ve come a long way from where I was/I’m not asking if I’ll ever be enough/So don’t tell me the truth/’Cause you’re hard to trust” are all the more startling given the musical setting. 'Angel' moves in a stately way, almost choral background vocals contrasting with dexterous rim-clicks from the snare and the urgent edge to Andrew Aged’s voice. Curious, discordant sounds and splashes of guitar rise momentarily out of the mix, while on 'Seventeen' the instruments sound almost as if recorded underwater, with the bass rumbling up from the sea-bed. The final songs on the album are amongst the most moving. 'Desert Rose (War Prayer)' is still another example where an understated vocal masks deep feeling: “Show me how to fix a broken world/Teach me how to turn it inside out”. Perhaps it is chiefly a meditation on masculinity, with its martial imagery “I was born to be your soldier/Make all my brothers all your warriors” concerning a struggle which is nonetheless not military. (Although the title may be intended to evoke at some level the landscapes of Iraq and Afghanistan.) For the most part the song drifts like a stream with synth floating overhead, slowly building the pressure until it is released in a cascade of piano notes echoing into an abyss, before it resolves in a tranquil guitar coda. The sequenced rhythm of 'Careful' brings to mind a person panting - it’s interesting how this album, despite the predominance of electronic instrumentation, not infrequently evokes natural images. The delicate vocal reaches the highest notes of any track here, full of a longing to embrace experience despite the singer’s caution: “Part of me wants to be careful/But all of me wants to be there for it all”. On the surface, not a lot happens on many of the songs on 'No World'. But despite a certain minimalism more emerges with each listen, the variety of instruments and tones being deployed with care and precision. Andrew Aged sings expressively, in a way that suggests Green Gartside or a low-key Prince. Inc. don’t demand your attention, but their music quietly, stubbornly, insists on receiving it.

Track Listing:-

1 the place
2 black wings
3 lifetime
4 5 days
5 trust (hell below)
6 your tears
7 angel
8 seventeen
9 desert rose (war prayer)
10 careful
11 nariah's song