DARKSIDE - Nothing
On their third record, DARKSIDE deftly deconstruct familiar elements of funk, indie rock, and electronic music, reassembling them into intriguing, at times astonishing, works of art.
The project from Nicolás Jaar, Dave Harrington, and Tlacael Esparza, has long been praised for its adept genre-blending. For over a decade, they have seamlessly merged electronic music with art rock and neo-psychedelia, producing a distinctive and noteworthy sound. Their latest longplay, Nothing, is like a box of memories, filled with summer polaroids and chaotic, indecipherable notes.
The first half of the album predominantly consists of dance music. These tracks build a groove that transports the listener to the dance floors of their favorite open-air bars. The musicians perfectly pay tribute to both blues rock and Latin American culture. This especially feels on “Are You Tired? (Keep on Singing)” - one of the standout tracks on the album. Regardless of where the listener is at that moment of listening to this song, as soon as you hit the play button, you'll find yourself at an oceanfront party.
On the other hand, the second half of the album takes on a darker, more menacing tone. On “Hell Suite Pt. I”, Nicolás Jaar interpolates John Lennon's “Imagine”, transforming the well-known lyrics into the chilling lines, "Imagine all of the people, living in hell. Does it take much?". It feels both eerie and captivating. DARKSIDE continues to build chaos on the closing track “Sin El Sol No Hay Na”, where amidst the calm yet languid atmosphere, a roaring guitar breaks through, filling the entire musical landscape with jarring distortion.
Nothing is an album that never stands still. Overall, it feels like a fever dream, with fragments of old memories flashing one after another. Technically, the production work here is amazing. It gives the record its strong emotional weight, making the album unpredictably captivating.
Eventually, Nothing is a daring experiment that transforms familiar elements into unrecognizable forms. The listener will never feel completely comfortable here, but the true value of this record lies in its ability to reward those who are willing to get lost in its sonic landscape.
7.5/10