Nadalands might be a relatively new project, but its roots run deep: Drummer Benjamin Buttice helms the beloved folk-rock project, ; bassist Matt Schild played with , a short-lived but beautiful dream rock project based out of Denver; and frontman John Lindenbaum has been writing songs since 1993, fronting bands like and .
While such talent gives Nadalands’ debut album, “The Last Days,” a sheen of professionalism usually lost on local debuts, it also gives the trio an already well-forged sound that ranges from rollicking to brooding, all wrapped up in thick, strummy guitars (note “” and ““).
Yeah, there’s barely any synth or other trendy production elements, but that’s because Lindenbaum knows he can do less with more. Like a stripped-down version of The National or Neutral Milk Hotel, abstract noise is swapped out for instantly relatable lyrics about death, taxes, drinking and, most importantly, dreams.
“Do you ever wish you were a member of The Rolling Stones / off on tour with wife and kids at home / shagging American groupies?” Lindenbaum asks cheekily on “They F U Up,” before interjecting humorous ponderings on the state of the world. Maybe we should leave Pakistan and India alone? Maybe Queen Elizabeth isn’t all she’s cracked up to be?
As a tried-and-true everyman, raised in the humble college town of Bloomington, Indiana, it’s likely that Lindenbaum will probably never be a member of The Rolling Stones. But as a of geography at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, his clever musings on “The Last Days” are worth listening to, if not reveling in.
Syntax hosts with Soft Skulls and Super Bummer tonight at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7.
