Review
Nadja
Corrasion (Reissue)

Being an acquired taste is a blessing for some bands as they get to be as adventurous as they could ever want to be and their “fan” base usually will go along with them, and Nadja is most definitely one such band that truly benefits from such an underground status or descriptor (what have you). In any case, listening to the re-issue of Corrasion really hits home how when Nadja is on their game, the music that this two piece can create is an awesome listening experience; and while this is the third separate time that this album has been released (or just re-recorded altogether), Corrasion is certainly one of the best examples of the band’s work and deserves to be in print for people to hear.


Without a doubt, at least three if not all four songs featured on Corrasion are some of the best that Nadja has created thus far in their lengthy career and within their absolutely monstrous discography (and while they are not on the same level as some outfits, a quick look at their discography is usually enough to scare some people away from dipping their toes in the water with the band). To be perfectly honest, I find it incredibly difficult to place any of these songs in a kind of ranking as my tendency is to simply put the album on my record player (though this new version is CD and digital only) and bask in the glorious swirls of sound and swells of bliss that emanate from the speakers; and turning this new version up loud really shows off the power that Nadja can display from time to time while also revealing some new sounds that may be absent from the early issues of Corrasion.

“Amniotic” and “Base Fluid” are just crushing in a Godflesh meets My Bloody Valentine manner (yes, I did just drop those two names here); slow and monolithic bass and programmed drums drive the fuzzed out guitar (think a rain storm that is hazy and muggy as all get out and you might have a visualization of the sound of the guitars because I find it difficult to describe it any other way) into a harrowingly bleak place, and, ultimately, both of these are fine examples of pounding atmospheric music done well that not only are heavy but also hide some rather gorgeous melodies buried in the aural fog (check out “Amniotic” particularly for that). “You Are As Dust” and “Corrasion” (even more so) both seem to be a bit more moody than that of their counterparts delving further into some darkened abyss that Baker and Buckeroff must visit when composing songs such as these.


The best compliment that I can pay to Nadja for this new version of Corrasion is that this new release is worth every penny no matter if it is the first time that a listener is owning the record or the third time (in fact I might go so far as to say that this is even better sounding than the first re-issue from 2007) as the sound is such a monster upgrade on this release, and ultimately, I might put this in my personal top five records by the band at this point. If you are a Nadja freak, you need to track this version of Corrasion down immediately; and if you are just getting into them or looking to do so, then this record is an excellent place to start.