NoCo
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NoCo

Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | SELF

Silver Spring, Maryland, United States | SELF
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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"CD Review: NOCO – “Level Up”"

NOCO – Level Up

Independent Release

Rating: 10 Out Of 10

Reviewed By: Bam-Bam

The Baltimore boys, NO COMPROMISE, better known to their fans as NOCO, are back with their fourth album (including their 2009 Acoustic outing, Kaleidoscope) in no less than a five year period which speaks volumes for their work ethic as well as their integrity to the music. While I was completely on-board for their debut, Pull The Plug, they seemed to lose me along the way with the release of 2008's This Could Be You. Well, in a feat that most cannot accomplish, they bounce back in a big way with this latest ode to everything that makes them the band I loved so much on their first…and even more! Bouncing between genres that include the Active Rock blasts of CHEVELLE (check out the lead-off track “Give”) and the Alternative bounce of PANIC AT THE DISCO (their brilliant album closer “FML”) the boys are hitting their stride in the most seasoned way imaginable. Fact #1-The band is very tight and immensely talented on their chosen instruments. Singer and psychotically versed bassist Justin is picture-perfect on evey track. Drummer, Will, is one of the most inventive multi-talents behind the kit you’ll hear this side of Stewart Copeland and Carter Beauford. And, if the six-string is your passion, get ready to learn a few intermediate lessons that will keep you busy for months with the sick performance that Jack lays down on this one! Fact #2-The songs are solid and catchy, one after the other. Nothing to add here other than the fact that the album has quickly become a favorite of mine for studying song structure and methodology! Brilliant!!! Fact #3-The production is STELLAR!!! Producer Scott Spelbring is just crazy genius with his knob-twisting and layered effects! Kudos all around.

I can’t come up with one thing to not love about this album and I’m completely sure I won’t be alone. It’s just great music that shouldn’t be questioned or picked apart unless you’re just into that kind of thing. Trust me though, it won’t be easy because these guys have the smarts to mind-fuck the hell out of you and make you think it’s just luck. A word of advice…it ain’t! The guys are very street smart and have toured their asses off to perfect their craft, so if you’re looking for something to make total sense to you and create the illusion of sameness in your life…you’re all out of luck. NOCO is for those who look for higher levels on this totem pole we call life, and with Level Up…they’ve spelled it out for you pretty clearly.

Head over to http://www.NOCOROCK.com to check out their music and support the band by buying one of their very cool “Superhero T-Shirts” that I’m hoping they’ll be mailing me very soon for my Birthday! I’ll take a large, please! Very, Very Highly Recommended And Then Some!!! - away-team


"Listening Booth: No Compromise, "Pull the Plug" (2007)"

No Compromise (or NoCo, their “official” nickname) is a trio from the Washington DC area, and they are appropriately named — this five-song EP starts off strong, and doesn’t let up until the very end. Justin Fry (vocals and bass) met guitarist Jack Kwait-Blank when the two were students at the University of Maryland in 2001 and formed the band along with drummer Brian Merryman (last year, Merryman left the group and William Bowen stepped in). Pull The Plug is the band’s third EP, and the first release featuring Bowen on drums. The band lists Foo Fighters as one of their influences, and I could definitely hear why.

“Aloud to Me” is a strong choice for an opener, and has been chosen as one of the EP’s singles (you can stream it at the band’s MySpace page). The track opens with an interesting ska guitar riff which is perfectly counter-balanced by the bass line. The instrumental arrangement is well thought out and the band plays it brilliantly. I’m not quite sure what this song is doing lyrically, but then, this track is really all about the music.

Next is “Look in the Mirror” (download), which kicks things up a notch. This song features the best set of lyrics on the EP; it’s about how stubbornness and refusal to accept responsibility can kill a relationship. Fry sings “You’d see that you’re the problem if you’d look in the mirror,” but that’s just scratching the surface. Dig a little deeper and you see that the relationship is a two-way street. The couple ultimately fails even when the girl tries to reconcile, because now the singer is too stubborn to admit any fault.

Things get even heavier, musically and lyrically, on “For the Institution.” Here, the band compares daily life in the corporate world to drug addiction. You know it’s not good for you, but you just can’t up and quit — you’re trapped in the daily routine. You need it, it needs you, but it really doesn’t care about you. I thought the line “Chirp chirp, you’ve got a message, Blackberry cell phone hooked into your veins” was particularly clever.

Track four, “So Hot (Water Level’s Rising)” has been designated the other single, and even though it’s quite the rocker, I think it’s the least interesting song on the EP. The other tracks are much more imaginative and not so repetitive. “So Hot” isn’t a bad song, but compared to everything around it, I’m surprised it was chosen as a single.

The band wraps it up with a bit of nostalgia in “Live It Up Now.” The message here is to seize the day, and live life to the fullest before it’s too late. The track opens up rather softly with a piano solo, but it soon morphs into a rocker by the time the chorus comes around.

This EP is very impressive. The sound is heavy enough to appeal to fans of grunge, but with vocals that are more power-pop oriented. It’s a good mixture, and the band sounds very tight and confident. Don’t be surprised if No Compromise becomes the next big thing in old-school alternative rock. –DS - David Schrimpf


Discography

EPs:
Level Up (2011)
Kaleidoscope (2009)
This Could Be You (2008)
Pull the Plug (2007)

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Bio

Putting aside their massive egos to form an incredible alliance, the members of NoCo bonded together after a near-lame experience at a Nickelback concert. Fleeing for their lives and barely escaping with their ears intact, Jack, Justin, and Will realized they had a duty - nay destiny - to restore hope to the rock faithful by holding themselves to higher standards of musicianship and songwriting.

Launching from their secret headquarters just outside the nation's capital, NoCo banded together as crime-fighters to clean up the streets and save rock music… because bad music is criminal.

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Although the band has proven they can produce solid tracks in the studio, NoCo prides itself on its energetic live performances. "We don't go out there every night to just 'put on another show.' We want everyone in the audience to feel something because that's what music is supposed to be about," lead singer and bassist Justin Fry explains. NoCo feels very strongly about fan involvement and believes that ultimately a loyal fan base will be the key to their continued success.

NoCo was featured as one of the Hottest Five DC bands in 2010 by CBS and Metromix DC. NoCo was also a finalist in the SeeJoeRock-Guinness Battle of the Bands in 2010.

A new EP, entitled "Level Up," produced by local rock genius, Scott Spelbring (Cinder Road, SR-71, Charm City Devils), was released on February 8, 2011.