Nothing But Noise: Not Bleeding Red

[27 July 2012]

By Steven Spoerl

Twenty years in the making, Not Bleeding Red arrives at just the right time.

Not Bleeding Red could have very easily been conceived in the heyday of the legendary ‘80s outfit Front 242, a band masterminded by a member of Nothing But Noise, Daniel B. Another one of Front 242’s original members, Dirk Bergen, is also in Nothing But Noise, giving Not Bleeding Red deep roots. Nothing here is slacked on, the sequencing is as artful as the packaging and everything within the songs themselves works miraculously well.

This project was a tribute to the analog synthesizers. What makes this LP so worthwhile, though, is that unlike the contemporary acts utilizing outdated instruments to look to the past, the band capitalizes on their potential to point toward the future. As a result, Not Bleeding Red ends up boasting some of the most beautiful and exciting ambient tracks to be released this year. It’s a long record to sit through, but it’s unquestionably worth the time.

Published at: http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/159518-nothing-but-noise-not-bleeding-red/