All or Nothing

by Shopping

Overview

Shopping has such a clearly defined sound -- spiky melodies, spring-loaded basslines, rhythms that just won't quit -- that small changes make a big impact. While All or Nothing continues the move toward a more polished style that Rachel Aggs, Billy Easter, and Andrew Milk began with The Official Body, the two albums couldn't be more different. Arriving in the gloomy climate of the late 2010s, Body rejected the era's pessimism with brisk beats and heartfelt songs that generated light and warmth. With this album, Shopping begins the 2020s with a much colder style, an interesting, if not always successful, choice for such a passionate band. Though All or Nothing's title mocks high-stakes ambition, the album is certainly cleaner and tighter-sounding than any of the trio's previous music. Taking inspiration from house and industrial music and Talking Heads, Shopping brings the precision of their playing to the fore on songs that, aptly enough, explore the impersonality of 21st century life. It's an approach that works well on "Follow Me," which cleverly blurs the line between social media sharing and surveillance-state paranoia, and on "For Your Pleasure," where icy repetition and vintage '80s synths fit its mindless hedonism perfectly. Many of All or Nothing's pleasures are on the technical side. It's satisfying to hear the parts of their music bounce off of each other -- or click together -- on the nagging earworm "Trust in Us" or "Expert Advice," a dazzling musical expression of information overload. Likewise, the shapes of All or Nothing's songs echo their messages in inspired ways. On the excellent "Initiative," the synths and backing vocals on the chorus are headed straight to the top; on "About You," meditations on self-sabotage form a vicious circle, nearing The Official Body's emotional depth in the process. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	02/07/2020
Label:	Fatcat Records
UPC:	0600116515711
Rank:	95820

Tracks

1. Trust in Us
2. Initiative
3. Follow Me
4. No Apologies
5. For Your Pleasure
6. About You
7. Lies
8. Expert Advice
9. Body Clock
10. All or Nothing

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Shopping   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Nick Sylvester   Mixing
Rachel Aggs   Group Member
Andrew Milk   Group Member
Shopping   Design
Billy Easter   Cover Photo,Group Member
Sarah Register   Mastering
Davey Warsop   Engineer
DLT   Design