Nost. - Empiricist.
Nost. are an outstanding chamber-folk indie-punk rock band from Edmonton, Alberta. Incorporating spoken word poetry and a large palate of folk instrumentation, Nost. is impressively consistent with each release, and Empiricist is no exception.
The vocals on Empiricist far exceed Nost.’s previous output. The delivery is consistently on point. Despite being more-spoken word than song, they leave an impact almost every time they are on display. Empeiria (in test) and Empeiria are solid, memorable openers. The title track is fantastic. The vocals are emotionally expressive, as is the varied instrumentation which dynamically adapts to suit the emotion. Watermelon Man and the more math-rocky Libra steer into punk-pop territory, though does so respectfully and impressively. Overall, the choruses are cheesy, though the songs feature neat verses and solid instrumentation. It’s a shame the album steers into pop territories often, though, as they are arguably the weakest aspect of Nost.’s work. Other standouts include Orchid, which harken’s back to Isaac Brock’s (of Modest Mouse’s) powerful vocals, Happy Song’s frantic verses, the powerful scared and impermanent, Staring Contest’s well-read poetry and the solid final two songs.
At times, the album can sound overly personal, in lieu of putting the music first. In other words, the music can often feel like an afterthought to the lyrics. Paired with its over-reliance on pop-punk, the album’s highs are dragged down by its lows. Furthermore, the album has few new ideas over previous releases. A darn shame, as the album displays some of Nost’s greatest songwriting, despite being familiar territory. Nonetheless, an impressive effort overall; here’s hoping Nost’s next release breaks the conventions further, though.
Good
Listen to it here:
Nost. - Empiricist.
