Wild Nothing: Empty Estate
Wild Nothing
Empty Estate
(Captured Tracks)
After the critically acclaimed LP Nocturne, musician Jack Tatum returns with his band Wild Nothing for the trippy, strange EPÂ Empty Estate. The seven songs contained herein are at once nostalgic while offering something new and unusual.
âThe Body in Rainfallâ features layered vocals, the deeper of which features hints of David Bowie. Grooving keyboards complement the distorted guitar work, creating the most immediate track on this EP. âOcean Repeating (Big-Eyed Girl)â is funky and smooth, though I canât think of many women who would want to be remembered in song as someoneâs âbig-eyed girl.â This is followed by âOn Guyot,â which, like âHachiko,â is totally instrumental. It put me in the mind of druggy carousel music, while âHachikoâ is quieter, evoking the beach.
âRideâ feels heavily influenced by â80s rock and Krautrock, and the quick synthetic beat and keyboards go well with the songâs title. âData Worldâ has the most poignant lyrics of the EP, with insights such as âLive in front of screens all you want now/We are the maximized ones.â Finally, âA Dancing Shellâ is actually as dance-worthy as the name implies, with Talking Heads-like delivery and groove.
There isnât much to unify the EP as a whole other than it all feels a bit stoned. Still, as an EP, itâs a brilliant chance to explore different ideas, and chances are that if the next Wild Nothing album includes any of these songs, it will be off to a great start.
