People Helping People is the sixth album from No Age and the first one recorded at the band's new studio in Randy's Garage, where Randy Randall and Dean Spunt have created this album totally by themselves with no outside help this time around. They will be touring extensively in America this autumn.
The album opens with You're Cooked that sounds a bit more baked than cooked, this is ambient synths and the odd drum machine interjection and much of it sounds like it's been played backwards reversomundo style.
Compact Flashes has motoric style drumming and pulses with slacker vocals about what happens in the game as the drums go off in small flashes as if they have sampled Mani Neumaier or Elvin Jones as they can't wait to get through all this.
Fruit Bat Blunder sounds like the master butcher of Leigh on Sea has been denuded of all his powers.
Plastic (You Want It) is almost chug along indie but with flayed guitars and the ever-evolving drum pattern at times clashing with the calm vocals making this like some sort of Slacker drum and bass indie amalgamation.
Interdependence opens with an Indian raga feel that's filtered through a haze of smoke and acid for you to chill out and relax with as you wait for it to mutate.
Violence is low-fi indie scuffler with buzzing amp guitars and semi chanted vocals. Flutter Freer seems to celebrate whatever has been flying across their minds as the whirling noises encase the vocals.
Rush To The Pond picks up speed like they are rushing downhill and are ready to throw themselves into the pond without any idea how deep it is, this is as close to a riff based song as they come on the album.
Slow Motion Shadow takes splenetic drumming and almost dentist drill style guitar to explain just how that Slow Motion Shadow is affecting them.
Blueberry Barefoot feels like they are treading those Blueberries ready to make some Schnapps and light up a huge joint of Blueberry smoke and float away, this is rather restrained and chilled.
Tripped Out Before Scott sounds like a pretty good trip as he seeks out the obscure, adds some cowbell, allows the drums to envelop him, as that trip gets going.
Heavenly is a slow elegiac piece for anyone who has ended up in Heaven since No Age last put out an album.
The album closes with the single Andy Helping Andy that has pulsing noises set against a squelchy base and lots of weird noises that leave you wondering what it is that Andy is being helped with the answer my friends is in the video below.
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