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Life Without Sound
by
Life Without Sound Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

  • Summary: The fourth full-length studio release for the Ohio indie rock band led by Dylan Baldi is its first with new lead guitarist, Chris Brown.
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  • Record Label: Carpark Records
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Noise Pop, Noise-Rock
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Top Track

Strange Year
I'll feel right later, but now I'm on you Can't even contain her, I'm out on that too My conscience is greater than lashes and fume One part of the... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Consequence
    Jan 23, 2017
    91
    It’s a chugging, nimble-footed affair, showing a matured and restrained group; no more eight-minute-plus pounding, slashing jams, replaced instead with a sense of clarity and focus, a driving, raw sonic thesis statement.
  2. The 405
    Jan 25, 2017
    85
    While infested by hooks, yet Life Without Sound bears itself with moral clarity and resolve while rocking damn hard.
  3. Clash Music
    Feb 1, 2017
    80
    Cloud Nothings’ best work to date.
  4. Pretty Much Amazing
    Jan 26, 2017
    75
    It seems as though Dylan Baldi has effectively evolved from a musical loner trying to go it alone to a mature frontman fully integrated in a strong and cohesive band. It seems as though Dylan Baldi has finally become a punk.
  5. AllMusic
    Jan 26, 2017
    70
    By letting go of a little of their rage, Cloud Nothings let more light and shadow into Life Without Sound with promising results.
  6. Drowned In Sound
    Jan 23, 2017
    70
    The band remain an excellent and vital act, still producing worthy music which is head and shoulders over many similar, lesser acts, the problem, it seems, is that their evolution is a slow one.
  7. Record Collector
    Jan 6, 2017
    60
    Baldi certainly has a knack for crafting a chorus but once he finds the structure, he tends to hold on to it for a little too long, meaning that the charming hooks on Life Without Sound can often become idle repetition.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. erolsabadosh
    Jan 29, 2017
    9
    Really enjoying this album! I wouldn't say it's better or worse than anything that's come before but it certainly feels like their mostReally enjoying this album! I wouldn't say it's better or worse than anything that's come before but it certainly feels like their most focused and polished effort that's for sure; stand-out songs for me are Enter Entirely, Sight Unseen & Up To The Surface for their emotional impact. I also love Things Are Right With You, Internal World & Modern Act for their anthemic hooks and melodies. Meanwhile Darkened Rings sounds like a sequel to Psychic Trauma and Strange Year and Realize My Fate also revisit the darker vibe of Here & Nowhere Else ending the album on a downbeat note. I don't have anything bad to say about it though overall; I think it's a really solid LP and I will be listening to it on repeat no doubt for a while to come.… Expand
  2. Commonsense
    Jan 27, 2017
    8
    I have to suspend my expectation from past work and their incredible single modern act. I was hoping for more similar to modern act, but itI have to suspend my expectation from past work and their incredible single modern act. I was hoping for more similar to modern act, but it just wasn't there. It's an album that could grow or fade. No sudden impact, or a "wow, they hit the mark" feeling at the end, however that doesn't mean their music isn't finding a natural progression of maturity and tenderness at times. It just feels like one of those albums where you are already anxious for the next progression from a solid band.… Expand
  4. Tom_Bombadil
    Feb 3, 2017
    6
    A steady heartbeat is a surprisingly difficult thing to maintain, and since their last record I felt the steadiness of their heartbeat was notA steady heartbeat is a surprisingly difficult thing to maintain, and since their last record I felt the steadiness of their heartbeat was not to be trusted. There are a few occasional good hooks here and there, and honestly I can't say there's a single "bad" track anywhere to be found, but overall the songs feel amateurish in a way that reveals poor taste and a deteriorated songwriting ability. They fail to do more than sounding like a copy of the band that once made Attack on Memory. I see tired people playing a style of music that under no conditions can be played under the effects of tiredness.… Expand
  5. Music_Observer
    May 16, 2017
    6
    An overall creative use of simple harmonies and a few melodic sparks towards the end made this album a worthwhile listen, but it’s not theAn overall creative use of simple harmonies and a few melodic sparks towards the end made this album a worthwhile listen, but it’s not the best new rock sound I’ve heard and only a couple of songs may actually grasp attention. My Score: 116/180 (Good) = 6.4/10… Expand
  6. ourtimehascome
    Feb 12, 2017
    5
    Life Without Sound is well produced, but it's ultimately boring and lacks the immediacy of Cloud Nothings' previous albums. There is simply noLife Without Sound is well produced, but it's ultimately boring and lacks the immediacy of Cloud Nothings' previous albums. There is simply no effort to choose this album over one of their other better records.… Expand

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75
#75 Most Shared Album of 2017

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