NOside

Every year as soon as August hits I begin to crave fall. I love a good flannel or hoodie, some pumpkin pie, and, for some strange reason, rock and emo music. Maybe it’s the memories of walking around the campus of my old alma mater, Grand Valley State University, while the leaves were changing, headphones firmly in my ears blasting the likes of Something Corporate, The Used, Taking Back Sunday, and so many others that sparks the hankering for similar music. Whatever it is, the coming of autumn always triggers a need to seek out rock / emo and it’s always great to find a new band that fits nicely into my fall playlist. Enter Cincy foursome, NOside, a new discovery that I’ve been recently using to forget the hot days and fantasize about cool fall nights.



I’m instantly reminded of Say Anything when the first notes of album opener “Something About Foxes” hit my eardrums. From the hooky guitar riff to the Jack Macejko’s vocals that range from guttural to straight up crooning, “Something About Foxes” is a great opening track crafted to hook you from the start. “Trees Vs. Buildings” starts with some doom and gloom guitars and vocals which brighten up little but little until they explode into an emotional howl on the chorus. The switch from dark to light along with the scream at the top of your lungs chorus is what makes this track a standout among some pretty strong songs.



“Lazarus,” which is one of the singles NOside dropped about a month ago, shows a bit of NOside’s indie rock side and is one of their more accessible tracks on the album. While another band that steeped it’s first tracks of an album in emo and straight up alt rock may have stumbled at crossing over into a more pleasing sound for the masses, NOside shines brightly. Crashing guitars and drums interweave with a hooky bass line with Macejko’s impassioned vocals that will make the most emo kid perk up and thrash around.



“Seasonal Affective Disorder” is probably the most low key track on the album. Bluesy bass lines mixed with Macejko’s calming croon carry the mellow verses, picking up to a jazzier beat for the jam session choruses. The bluesy feelings carry over to “Gash in the Stern,” another slow burning track that makes a pretty catchy 2001: A Space Odyssey reference during the 70’s rock influenced end of the track that this movie nerd can’t seem to resist.

Galloping guitars announce the arrival of “Retail Prayer of the Kenwood Goose,” another rousing track that will have you back on your feet after the slower paced songs before it. “Britney” has a bit of a garage rock vibe to it with it’s rip roaring rock chorus and reverbed “Ooh Ooh Oohs” as well as the return of Macejko’s throaty vocals that add so much character to the track.



The album closes out with another single, “All in All” which takes things down to a nice and easy swing of a beat. There’s some more blues mixed with with wonderful 90’s rock guitars and actually remind me a lot of one of my favorite albums of last year, Prawn’s Kingfisher. The track slowly builds and builds sending Rapidisassembly off in a big way and assuring that you hit repeat and listen to the album just one more time.

NOside crafts an album full of big, emotional sounds that have me continuing to go back for more. The mix of genres feels so effortless and the emotional pack of Macejko’s vocals add a lot of personality and finesse to NOside’s sound helping them to stand out among every other emo / rock outfit currently out there. Rapidisassembly leaves the listener wanting more and makes this concert addict itching to see NOside perform live.

You can stream Rapidisassembly in its entirety over on SoundCloud or pick it up over on iTunes. - Under Bright Lights

Rapidisassembly can be summed up in a single word: explosion. And that’s exactly what the four men of NOside seem to be going for. Their Soundcloud even reads “Rapidisassembly is a metaphor for an explosion,” and boy, do they deliver. Lead singer Jack Macejko makes his entrance with a guttural, yet smooth, sound that goes down like satisfying whiskey. He pulls the energy straight from his soul and injects passion into each wobbly lyric. NOside have created a sort of organized chaos in their album, very similar to the harmonies of Six Gallery.

The band creates a consistent tempo almost immediately, but are not afraid to play around with it. It’s nearly impossible to predict what dramatic change will emerge next. But that’s the excitement of it all. These guys know their way around perfectly placed pauses and offbeat guitar licks. While Macejko can sound sing-song at times, it’s supported by his bandmates so there is never any disconnection. About two-thirds through “Lazarus Capri,” Macejko softly repeats “always falling down,” as though you’re right there with him, falling through space. It’s an infectious lyric that sews the rhythm into your head. But for most songs, he brings back that whiskey-flavored soul singing, which is just as heartlifting. The biggest thing to note about NOside is the atmosphere they create. The rhythm, aka Kyle Tieman, Andrew Would, and Josh Begley, always keeps up with Macejko’s vocals and passion while neither is overpowering.

By the time they reach “Seasonal Affective Disorder,” the feel of a brisk, autumn day is in the air. You can hear the instruments singing just as clearly as Macejko, like Delicate Steve in his Positive Force album. Macejko has a very atypical verse structure, but it really highlights the unique sound of Rapidisassembly. “All in All” brings the album to a close with a sleepy, rainy day feel, but ends with a frustrated plea to the universe. NOside pulls listeners into their groove with their laid back sound, but keeps them listening with their unmatched musical energy. They are an indie rock act you don’t want to miss. - Indieminded

It happens to all of us regular working folks at one point or another or twelve. You’re sitting in your cubicle, sipping your third coffee of the day chasing some sort of buzz that peaks briefly, and leaves you up all night transitioning into vivid dreams of based-on-reality-situations you’d rather be in with women you’ll never fuck.
Somewhere in that buzz moment, all of the nervous energy that should going into your glass ceiling post goes towards that based-on-reality-situation. What the fuck am I doing here? Am I going to die here?
Creature comforts can kill you in a way, I mean what can’t? But the straight and narrow has likely lead to more nervous breakdowns and Harley Davidson stock swings then any other life choice.
Such was the dilemma facing Jack Macejko, a musician out of Cincinnati, OH. There’s a fire that never goes out, so they say, and the one burning in Macejko’s belly led to NOside, a band he now shares with Kyle Tieman, Andrew Would and Josh Begley.
Speak Into My Good Eye is happy to premiere the band’s new LP, Rapidisassembly, below.
The 8-track effort follows the same spastic, thunderous sonic wave of contemporaries such as Hop Along’s just released Painted Shut, with a little bit of Modest Mouse and heartland wistfulness sprinkled in for good measure.
According to Macejko, “Rapidisassembly is the expression of the tech support associate who cannot take it anymore. These songs are my celebration of the terrifying nature of freedom experienced after leaving a “decent job for now” or a dispassionate relationship.
For inspiration, I looked towards prescribed forest fire burns and the new growth that occurs afterwards as well as the music of Randy Newman.”
Stream NOside’s Rapidisassembly and look for more from the band here. - Speak Into My Good Eye