Album Review! Nonbeliever: Maybe It’s Strange

Maybe It's Strange

Maybe It’s Strange opens with a hypnotic cicada apocalypse, immediately giving an eerie feel to the first track, ‘Advancing Giants’. Nonbeliever conveys an impression of sad guitar (the image of The Old Guitarist by Pablo Picasso comes to mind) with a distinctive magnetic rhythm and vocals that echo down a corridor from somewhere I’ve never been. I feel as though I’m on my way somewhere. A burst of drums and a plane flies overhead and then I’m onto the title track ‘Maybe It’s Strange’; guitar riffs that seem to bubble up from underwater and spoken vocals akin to early Nick Cave open and close to pulsating drums.

I am absorbed into the sound, mesmerised and unable to break free from this strange place I’ve been transported to. ‘Circles’ is the sound of a fatigued man which sings to a desperateness of one world weary. ‘You Have Not Been Listening’ takes on a Spanish guitar vibe. It’s nice to be able to hear the authentic rawness of the key change which is all too often edited out of music. I’m flying high above in the weird world Nonbeliever has created.

‘Oh No’ beckons from bridge to somewhere more upbeat; with tingling obsessive guitar and regular haunting drum beat. I would say Nonbeliever is a great likeness to musical genius Thom Yorke with his sparse languid vocals; Nonbeliever combines almost jovial compositions with lingering lyrics and heartbreaking vocals. I am reminded of a song by Arleta called ‘Apo Mesa Pethamenos’ which means ‘dead inside, alive outside’, Nonbeliever comes from a world of the stoic yet irrevocably morose but which is veiled by a drawn-on smile. I can’t fail but warm to his happy hurt.

The moody turns continue throughout the album from dream-like ‘Summer Evidently’ to electronic video game tinkles with ‘Hero’ which is cut through with sparse resonant cries. ‘Dead Leaves’ is a firm favourite of mine – going from relaxed vibes to tired vocals singing of inner brokenness. His soft and shrewd dark indifference is distinguished from the more sultry guitar.

The final track ‘Crying Wolf’ is a beautiful allusion to Radiohead’s early years with gorgeous trembling spiritual vocals alongside sorrowful cries. Nonbeliever has really impressed me, even without the sheer layers of his musical ability, he evokes a remarkably poetic presence and speaks to the fragile regret inside each one of us. I’m looking forward to hearing where this talent progresses in the future. 

Verdict: 8.5/10

Stephen Fairbanks aka Nonbeliever

Lucky for us Nonbeliever is all over the internet so there's no excuse to not listen - go on....

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Mark Lanegan Band at the Riverside, Newcastle

I don’t know why I am so surprised by the volume of people squashed into the Riverside for the Mark Lanegan gig on a damp Wednesday night. The support act is folksy-blues banjo welding Sean Wheeler and Zander Schloss who offer an eccentric and lively warm up to the evening. I spend a good 20 minutes trying to find a suitable view and wind up next to the throbbing speakers. I had better not get another beer in case I lose this prime location, not that I’d want to move, as soon as Lanegan begins in that infamous sultry voice I am fixed to the spot.

Lanegan’s career spans generations and this really shows in the range of people and ages at the gig – fans from the Screaming Trees era right up to the more recent albums with Isobel Campbell from Belle and Sebastian. Lanegan shows that he is a true professional and someone who knows his audience as he provides a diverse range of songs, even as far back as ‘Dead On You’ from the 1994 album ‘Whiskey for the Holy Ghost’. But then the man hailing from Washington state does have a more than impressive back catalogue to choose from.

Lanegan’s newest album offering ‘Phantom Radio’ will certainly draw in a fresh audience as he continues on from 2012 release ‘Blues Funeral’ to experiment with synth and electro noises. Apparently even established ‘old school’ artists are moving forward into a brave new world of technology. It might be fair to describe Lanegan’s new (ish) unswerving direction as disturbed disco as he delivers “I feel your hands around my throat” from ‘The Killing Season’ in his arid voice which is backed with a resonating dance-like spangled beat. And therein lies his old and new self, both battling to be heard. It’s a marmite situation for Lanegan fans.

For me, his music represents the darkness and vulnerability that lies within. Perhaps through ‘Phantom Radio’ he is trying to break free from his former self and is now in the clutches of a past-present clash. However, the Grunge legend manages to keep the spiritual heart in his song, writing with lyrics which are still as deep, tormented and insightful as ever. 

The gig ends with a favourite of mine; the gospel inspired ‘Revival’ which was recorded with the Soulsavers, followed by two songs from the new album. I left the gig with inner warmth – I’m sure most fans could feel a certain connection with Lanegan who danced awkwardly on stage while maintaining a certain bashful yet assured presence. For me, Mark Lanegan’s music conjures up melancholy heartbreak and when he delivers lines such as “Hard times, walking in the sunshine” and “You don’t love me, what’s to love anyway?” I realise how much his voice truly embodies his soul and his words.

Mark Lanegan Band - Phantom Radio