Labels: Exiled Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
I liked this as soon as I saw it was on an Asda brand CDR. Less Than Nothing is two chaps from the Midlands, playing instrumental rock. I was particularly interested as on their Myspace page it reckons they are influenced by the Hated. “Ha!” I thought “some chance of that”. Yet, if you ensure your ears are paying close attention, you may actually spot a few Hated (at their most gentle) riffs here and there. They also list a bunch of the usual post rock suspects, and sure enough, you get some of the faux epic, fx-ed guitar sounds, which personally I don’t think they need, the music they make is interesting enough without the guitar squall that you’ll find on any number of records post Mogwai going massive. Post rock just seems to be one of those odd genres that some people get into in their mid 20s, a period of their life when they are getting serious and contemplative of how they have frittered away their time on this planet. And then they get out of it again once they realise how unrewarding listening to all that po-faced clap trap was. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Less Than Nothing, who are definitely not post rock, despite the proclaimed influences. “Moving On” may be the pick of the 4 tracks on offer here, a warm little number with gentle acoustic guitars and simple drumming, blending with electronic fizzles. Reminds me a bit of Aerial M, which is a bonus. “Too Little, Too Late” is again along these lines – I think warm is the watch word here, this is such a pleasant listen, gently rolling on with soft guitars and definitely recalling the Hated when they switched to acoustic mode. Actually, I just figured it out – this sounds like Rainy Day Regatta.
I have to say I preferred the final 2 tracks, which are more acoustic with electronic hints, to the colder first half, but this is a solid beginning. Initially I was wondering if they’d benefit from vocals but the 2 closers emphatically prove they don’t. I’d like to hear what happens next.