Wild Nothing - Gemini (Album Review)

 

Wild Nothing - Gemini

(2010)


My copy: 2020 limited repress with silk-screened jacket on blue translucent vinyl by Captured Tracks


Gemini is an album about self discovery and uncertainty. Jack Tatum is the lone man behind Wild Nothing and he explains in a forward provided with the album that Gemini was written in the midst of college-aged feelings of nostalgia, fear and longing. While this album is good at what it is trying to convey, it very much stays trapped in a singular style throughout its 40ish minute run time.

Tatum has created a reverb drenched bed of shimmering guitars and enchanted synths. From whispered vocals to syncopated arpeggios, this is everything a fan of dream-pop could hope for. While the songs are well crafted, the unfortunate reality is that there is little deviation between stylistic choices and one might come away with only a few tracks really standing out. “Live In Dreams” and “Chinatown” are the obvious popular songs, with earworm vocal choruses and simplistic yet layered structures.

The best songs on Gemini are the ones that take little risks and experiment a bit. “Pessimist” messes around with a strange synth sound and plays with rhythm in a way that no other track on the record attempts to do. There are cool percussive elements reminiscent of wind chimes that harmonize with the ethereal vocals. “Witching Hour” features the superb addition of a delayed guitar riff, and very patiently mixes in new instruments before unleashing the full array of sounds. “Witching Hour” may be the best song just because there are moments where the song breathes; that is, the songwriting takes time and pulls elements back for a moment and utilizes subtlety. 

A huge issue with this album is that once you have heard the verse and chorus to a song, you have essentially heard the whole thing, and there are only slight variations in some songs. “Our Composition Book” is a fun moody jam with good momentum that also attempts to break the pace. Songs like “O Lilac” or “Chinatown” border on generic for their indie coming-of-age soundtrack style. “My Angel Lonely” is the most interesting from a songwriting perspective but it would be cool to see these songs freed from the same-y production and sound. Sometimes the album very lightly dips its toes into post-punk with a song like “Gemini” but the influence is transparent. 

Ultimately Gemini is only a great record if you are looking specifically for this brand of DIY dream-pop, and it is really good at immersing the listener into one particular sound. Unfortunately, Gemini does little to actually break the mold, although it is an impressive feat for one person in terms of composition and layering. 

This copy still sells for pretty cheap on discogs and comes in a cool silk-screened sleeve. The cover art is immaculate.


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