A gorgeous slice of life of the difficult but captivating lifestyle of American nomads. Carried by its haunting landscapes and spirted characters, Nomadland instills a sense of urgency and wonder in life.
The boys don't seem to yell as much as they do on their previous albums, so this is actually bearable to listen to, although the distorted effect they seem to have over their voices on a lot of the tracks probably helps with that. The beats are quite original and experimental I guess, offering many different styles throughout the album; rock, electro and dub to name a few. In saying that though, I don't love any of this, and there are some I can't stand, but then again I'm far from a fan of these guys. Based on what I've heard from the group I think you'll get some enjoyment out of this if you are a fan, but particularly vocally, I've always been perplexed at the fanfare associated with the Beastie Boys.
Best Tracks: Make Some Noise, OK, Too Many Rappers, Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament, Here's a Little Something for Ya
Alie Ward interviews experts in various subjects - anything you can put an "-ology" to!
Her enthusiasm shines through, and her clear-eyed description of the inequalities that plague many areas of academia keeps it from becoming cheesy or forced. The theme naturally slants toward STEM subjects but some of the standouts include harder-to-define subjects - "Agnotology" particularly appears to have been popular.
