No Age – Losing Feeling EP (2009) [Sub Pop] // Grade: A

Brevity? Totally the soul of No Age. Don’t get me wrong: the LA teenage-wasteland duo killed it on their two full-lengths (especially 2008′s noise-sick Nouns). But there’s something about the shotgun blast of four songs in 14 minutes, some propulsive X factor, that completely satisfies, even while it leaves you wanting—nay, craving—more.

Really, Losing Feeling is less EP than two insanely great 7 inches; the two pairs of tracks complement each other the way only a single and B-side can. Seasick ballad “Genie” plays soulmate to the hollow-noise climax (and Ride reminiscent) opener “Losing Feeling”, even ending with a jangly, reversed guitar that suggests the surf vibrato of its counterpart. Likewise, the ambient “Aim At The Airport”—instrumental, drumless and teeming with unsettled, crawling noise—is the perfect foil for wall-of-sound closer “You’re A Target”. It’s shoegaze shimmer on a serious speed binge—so, you know, just another No Age song.

Which is sort of a thing: No Age doesn’t do much branching out on Losing Feeling, but the the songs never suffer for it. Distilled into such demanding confines, the No Age charm has little choice but to…well, be really charming. And even if you can’t stand Dean Spunt’s howling whine, or blanch at the idea of so much squealing siren noise, the EP is over well before the time it takes to, like, bake a potato. Nothing to lose.

- Rue Sauvage