"It isn’t real, but it feels real."
Since I already introduced Have a Nice Life many posts ago, I won't do it again. But as Dan (also of the great label Enemies List Home Recording, check their other stuff out!*) has stated in a place I don't remember... Have a Nice Life "is, was, and always will be Dan and Tim". Enough said I guess. These guys really lack any kind of biography, their Wikipedia article is quite sparse. Perhaps that is part of their charm, shrouded, letting the music speak for itself. Their most recent release however, The Unnatural World, gained some more press release. A song featured on NPR and the entire album streamed on Pitchfork. I think this is great news for the band, they are getting the exposure they deserve. Because this certainly isn't music I'd consider accessible.
So after releasing an EP in 2010 (following Deathconsciousness in 2008), Time of Land, finally in 2014 the duo released The Unnatural World. I'm not going to lie, I had rather high expectations for this record, I loved Deathconsciousness, and still do. To my great pleasure, this was equally great - albeit in a different way. Still Have a Nice Life but it's the 2014 version. Not nearly as epic as their first full length: 1 disc, 8 tracks, none in the double digits. But this doesn't detract from anything. They are maybe more able to get their point across more concisely.
All of the elements I loved about their previous album are here, totally depressing, doom, drone, distortion, lots of D words. There are a lot of things to discover about this album, each listen can bring something new.
So far 'Burial Society' is my favourite track, the vocals are rather emotional. Though none of these tracks lack emotion. And this is also not to say that the previous tracks aren't strong, they definitely are. It's usually just the dreary kind. 'Music Will Untune the Sky' is a sort of dreamy track with some feedback and almost angelic singing stretched out in the background. 'Cropsey' is another interesting track, it begins with a dialogue between an adult and child. The male adult is asking the boy (Johnny) how he feels about Pennhurt. A quick Wikipedia search brings up some info about Pennhurst, and then the track makes a lot more sense. Spoiler alert: it was a school/hospital in Pennsylvania for the mentally and physically disabled. Listening to the track and reading the entry doesn't exactly make for a happy picture. I don't know where the sample came from, but it certainly is intriguing. The samples are played over some simple keyboard and drums before the real vocals and instruments break in. The song is actually quite powerful when it properly begins. 'Unholy Life' follows, and is actually the most upbeat, and shortest, track on the album.
In general, this album offers what you'd come to enjoy and expect from Have a Nice Life, while still managing to give the listener something totally unexpected. This is a difficult album for me to describe as well, it's another best if you listen to it sort of thing. It is a perfect follow-up to Deathconsciousness - while remaining wholly unrelated, there is no recycling of ideas here. The Unnatural World shows the band progressing, moving forward, and still making painfully oblique music that will make your soul filled with sorrow and hopelessness. In a good way of course, because isn't that the best kind of music?
*I recently partook in a campaign to fund Enemies List, you can feel good supporting them and get a ton of great music included. If you like anything from Enemies List I would seriously consider this. It's win-win for everyone! Go here for more info: http://support.enemieslist.net/
