{"id":71845,"date":"2018-10-31T14:00:20","date_gmt":"2018-10-31T14:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=71845"},"modified":"2023-11-06T21:27:33","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T21:27:33","slug":"review-john-nolan-abendigo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-john-nolan-abendigo\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: John Nolan – Abendigo"},"content":{"rendered":"![\"John](\"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/John-Nolan-Abendigo-300x300.jpeg\" "\\"\\"")
There\u2019s no denying that John Nolan<\/b> has a storied musical history. As the only original member of Taking Back Sunday, his name clearly holds a weight within the scene, but it\u2019s always felt a bit strange that his solo material has gone fairly overlooked despite that. After all, this is his third full-length, and yet, compared to the likes of Chuck Ragan or Dave Hause who\u2019ve become synonymous with their solo work as with bands (if not more so), Nolan<\/b> has usually felt left out of the conversation.<\/p>\n
And in some way, it feels like he knows that himself.\u00a0\u2019Abendigo\u2019<\/i> feels like a slightly different album in some ways, adding more electronic and ambient elements for a more modern touch while leaving the rugged indie-rock backbone intact. It\u2019s the best possible move he could\u2019ve made too, as \u2019Abendigo\u2019<\/i> is absolutely excellent for the most part, soaring and anthemic but heartfelt in equal measure.<\/p>\n
Even if opener \u2019Do You Remember?\u2019<\/i> feels a bit obtuse with its churning, tense progressions, it\u2019s definitely the exception, but it works. \u2019Over Before It Begins\u2019<\/i> is absolutely enormous with its sweeping strings and cinematic scale, while the cleaner pianos of \u2019Smiling And Alive\u2019<\/i> and the tight thrum of \u2019Outside Of The Tragedy\u2019<\/i> show how well-integrated this modern production can be. It feels like a natural shift over a stylistic one as well, evidenced by the gruff, grinding post-hardcore of \u2019Anything You Want\u2019<\/i> that serves as an ideal conduit between then and now.<\/p>\n