Mad Nanna
I Made Blood Better
8 Track, LP (2012, Negative Guest List)
Related: Mad Nanna.
One of the first lines uttered on this record is, “Am I hallucinating?” It's only a minute since you placed the needle in the groove, but it's already a timely question. I Made Blood Better sounds like a very laaazy submission to some blazed subconscious: it's basically the aural equivalent of an onset of severe muscle atrophy. Imagine laying in bed for a month. When you first attempt to stand, you immediately fall. But you don't bother getting back up because ... well, it's quite okay down there, and you had no where to go anyway.
Mad Nanna's songs aren't stream-of-consciousness. That's suggestive of too much baggage, because the only resemblance to sentience here is the fact the music actually moves, albeit with its own syrupy, narcoleptic tread. This record is broken in most conceivable ways. Every note or vocalisation leaves trails of stickiness, like some sickly amphetamine cheese.
Mad Nanna-I Hit a Wall by Quemada Records
Mad Nanna is a Melbourne five-piece, fitting somewhere in the centre of a triad consisting Jandek, the Dead C and the Shadow Ring. If none of those approximate parallels mean anything to you, then just imagine an indie guitar band with a sloppy affectation, slow that down twice-fold, chew the cassette tape, re-spool, and then press play. Most will find this record punishingly listless: Ian Wadley's drums miss most appointments with “the beat”, while Michael Zulicki's vocals crudely elucidate only semblances of a theme. Mad Nanna always fall just-so short of making clear what their songs are about, and so the plaintive commonness of the snatches you understand take on some inflated meaning. 'If I Don't Sleep Tonight' is a gorgeous song, if you've the patience, but why is he “bleeding on the floor”, and why does he “not mind”? Probably because that's just what he felt like singing. But amidst the wreckage of sound that accompanies it, you can't help but fill in the gaps.
Above all else, Mad Nanna sounds resigned. They also sound forlorn, hopeless, broken and inadequate. But it's not depressing music, and nor does it languish in ennui. It's liberatingly free: melodies flail and peter out, good ideas occur and disappear because, you know, who cares to rise to them. The whole B-side of this LP is a live performance, and by the sound of things no one in the audience is listening. It's actually hilarious: you can almost follow entire threads of conversation. But the band play anyway, because what else would they do? They're a band. This is what a band does. It plays. No matter what. That is the situation.
by Shaun Prescott
– Coming off a “mini” US tour that had them supporting Kirin J Callina…
– Sydney garage menaces Straight Arrows will storm Victoria next weeke…
Our irregular round-up of some new-ish cassette, CD-R and vinyl releas…
Can't believe that song streamed up there only went for 5 minutes...that took forever. Certainly not a singles band..
wow, they're taking melbourne nonchalance to the next level.
that track up there is the most together sounding thing i've heard of theirs tbh
this album is FKN fantastic.
Is this pretty much the same as the tape that came out last year?
cant wait to get this. best band!!!!
with style and class. Mad Nanna for all your late and post-party requirements!
love the tapes, looking forward to getting a copy of this
And yet, the singles they have released have been awesome.
Quemada Records run rife with gold
I like Mad Nanna but that review was stupid. It's OK if you don't have anything to say about something, you aren't obliged to say something.
I want this
love u Mad Nanna
you're referring to mad nanna there rather than the actual review??
i can't see anywhere where shaun suggests it isn't ok for them to not say something about anything. as far as the record goes i'm not really sure what to think of it - don't really particularly like or dislike it at this stage. most other bands would be bagged mercilessly for putting out something that sounds so sketchy and half-finished...
i'm led to believe that the record contains re-recorded versions of the material from the tape of the same name plus some added stuff.
good review - unpicks things nicely, very informative.
i wonder what the feelings of (the creative force behind) this band are about the band the frogs?
I love that nowadays you don't even have to know how to play an instrument to put an album out! You go guys!
No, I didn't intend to say anything at all about Mad Nanna. The first sentence was quite explanatory I thought. Just in case you missed it, here it is along with the second sentence in context:
See, I stated 'I like Mad Nanna,' implying an absolute devotion to and a completely uncritical stance towards them. Then I said, 'but that review was stupid.' Now, I know that that 'but' may be confusing for you, but ('but') it was not intended to overshadow an otherwise positive clause with a negative clause where the subject was the value of Mad Nanna. It was rather a conditional with commentary on Mad Nanna itself being the subject. (So the 'but' was to indicate something like: 'I'm all in favour of people talking about Mad Nanna and everything, to promote their existence or whatever, but surely when you have nothing of value to say about them then it isn't absolutely necessary to talk about them? [I think the question mark would signify not confusion but rather to temper the confronting nature of the statement(?)]) From this, the second clause of the first sentence 'set up,' so to speak, the subject of the second one. This is a common structural tool of the English language, and language itself in fact, and I apologise for taking general literacy for granted on a discussion board where general literacy is generally taken for granted. (Now, of course, I'm looking forward to someone pointing out any grammar or spelling errors of this post so as to ensure an orgasm or 'lolz' which would replace any semblance of an engaged response to it with a gentle wave of ridicule.)
I was, to 'spell it out,' the entire time, referring to the review itself. Shaun (Prescott) is probably a friend of yours or something; if so, you'll probably take offence on his behalf. Don't bother. He clearly thinks reviewing music is a valuable contribution to... whatever. This already tells us all that he has nothing of value to say. (lolz!)
excellent band / people. got the record yesterday, can't wait to get home and soak it in.
talk about writing about nothing! what do you expect him to write about? as far as i can tell he writes a bit about the album, how it feels to him, who's in the band, a bit of background - that's about all i expect from an album review...anymore and i'd say he's just being indulgent and enjoying his words a bit too much.
That wasn't quite my point though, was it. But then, I'm sure you didn't bother to read what I wrote before responding.
your point wasn't that he didn't say anything about the album?
Here's my original point:
And here's a brief explanation those two sentences:
ahh he didn't say anything about something!
In response to Mule:
'[W]hen you have nothing of value to say ... then it isn't absolutely necessary to talk...'
Sorry - is that still too many words for you to comprehend all at once? :{ Whatever will I do! (If you want me to go through the review line by line, word by word, to show why I think it has no value, then you're out of luck. I don't give that much of a shit to do so. Call it a cop out if you like, at least I gave you and Shaun something to scoff about. The review is clearly a load of inconsequential shit though. '...the aural equivalent of an onset of severe muscle atrophy.' lolz! cool line!... Reading this drivel is like the textual equivalent of paralytic pseudoileus that turns out to be, actually, a light pain from eating too much pasta the night before. High-five!)
Oh GOD. seriously?
I hope he didn't get paid for such rubbish.
morris it sounds like you've been hanging out with everett true. thanks for making your comments clear, there was some level of ambiguity there - especially if like me you read shaun's review and thought it seemed like he was actually saying something about the record.
so what you are/were saying is that the fact that he bothered to review the record proves that shaun himself has nothing worth saying (?), most of your other comments seem to be more along the line of you just thinking he's a shit writer...
and yet another is reeled in
hardly, just didn't understand the man
i kind of like the amphetamine cheese line, it's funny.
I don't know Everett True. I don't read NME. I don't even know who Everett True is. Maybe I was being hyperbolic.
I think the two go hand in hand.
You reel yourself in, honeybun.
i'm just keepin it real, sugar tits
it seems a bit unnecessary to be so nit-picky about a review of music that isn't particularly about precision etc. I kinda like it.
Actually, we're from Tasmania.
This review/thread is hilarious!
I love this band.
Shaun's review is pretty spot on.
If Mad Nanna confound listeners' expectations, they've done their job well.
They create the perfect sound for Sunday afternoon hangovers.
I rest my case.
Yeah, if the spot is an intracerebral haemorrhage behind the left ear.
i love how much mad nan piss people off, best band to divide the weak from the chaff!
who doesn't like mad nanna?
Was that a rhetorical question?
I'm confused.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztwN66mUY7k
I really like that video, it's nice to see an expressive audience.
Mad Nanna - band least likely to inspire moshing or crowd participation of any kind. Bless their pigeon-toed awkwardness.
Finally picked up a copy of the LP on the weekend, I can't stop listening to it. Looking forward to the new 7'' & launch next week.
new 7'' is great, they're all great, maybe this one is the greatest, great.
i feel great right now
new 7'' is indeed great
Fuck, Mad Nanna at the Red Rattler last night were incredible. Haven't seen something that good in years.
mad nanna be playing at old bar this thursday