CD Reviews

Let's Wrestle | Nursing Home

Merge (2011)

By GARRETT MARTIN | June 22, 2011

3.0 Stars

Let's Wrestle are another pack of young British guitar owners, and although they haven't crafted much of an identity outside of being amiable wiseasses, that's all you need if your songs are catchy enough. This kind of noisy, overdriven, guitar-heavy pop music is hardly confined to any era, but if Nursing Home came out in '92 or '93 — during that brief window when major labels let their guards down and signed legitimately good bands in a desperate search for the next Nirvana — they would've gotten at least as much radio play as Eugenius or Teenage Fanclub. Lyrically, Nursing Home combines the intelligent snark of Art Brut and the teenage fixation of "Blue Album"–era Weezer with songs about playing computer games in the suburbs and hanging out with friends. The production from Steve Albini ensures that it's not too slick or processed. These short, humble pop songs amble along like the Wedding Present if David Gedge had a wrist injury that cut his inhuman strumming speed in half.

The Sounds | Something To Die For
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Crystal Stilts | In Love With Oblivion
Slumberland (2011)
Atari Teenage Riot | Is This Hyperreal?
Returning after 11 years of officially not existing, what's left of ATR could've focused their energies on kicking lots of ass. Instead, they indulge spoken-wordy, freshman-year non-profundities...
The Coathangers | Larceny & Old Lace
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Elbow | Build A Rocket Boys!
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Pharoahe Monch | W.A.R.
If rap fans were willing to worship shit from this century, then W.A.R. would already be considered one of the greatest discs of all time.
Yelle | Safari Disco Club
In the four years since French electro queen Yelle released her debut, Pop Up, a gaggle of comparable female dance-pop characters — from Gaga to La Roux to Robyn — have made their way into the spotlight.
2562 | Fever
Dave Huismans must get easily bored with making music.
Foo Fighters | Wasting Light
After Nirvana, Dave Grohl could easily have spent the rest of his career hiding behind a drum kit somewhere, but instead he risked undeserved scrutiny by jumping to the mic in front of his own creation.
Panda Bear | Tomboy
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Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit | Here We Rest
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