Iam Nothe – 'The Grand Design': Beautiful and very distinctive

The band has just released their debut album titled 'The Grand Design‘ (16.09.22), with which they promise us a wonderful musical journey through 8 tracks. Buckle up… Off we go!

Iam Nothe or otherwise Άημ Νόδη

The Spyreas Cint being the frontman of Cyanna Mercury (2014-2017) and Cyanna (1999-2013), already has a very strong track record. Both bands were among the most interesting alternative rock bands of the 00's and 10's. Spyreas was the lyricist and, together with his brother Nikos, the main composers for both outfits, which released albums, EPs and singles, and toured Greece and the Balkans. They were also featured at various European festivals and appeared live on Greek and French television.

Spyreas began composing and producing his debut album as Iam Nothe in 2018, a year after the breakup of Cyanna Mercury. “The Grand Design“ was released digitally on 16.09.22, preceded by the singles “Lord You Are The Cure” (December 2021) and “Babylon Burn“ (June 2022).

An album that stands out

For those of us who knew the music of the bands that the Sid brothers took part in, we were certain the compositions would be something quite special. And boy, were we right… The album is marked by an international outlook in its sound. At the same time, it's not foreign at all. The tracks express the artist's mood at each moment in a very intense way. And that mood looks pretty dark… The vibe of the tracks is very distinctive and leads us down darker musical paths, without ever weighing the listener down. This is an album with character and musical depth, one that definitely leaves its mark.

The combinations of musical styles vary. From folk elements, we move to soul, blues, americana. Musically, the tracks are built on repeating motifs, full of psychedelic effects. Motifs that also nod a bit towards eastern music. On top of all this comes the excellent performance of Iam Nothe, which makes every track stand out. "The Grand Design" expresses the work of a singer/songwriter who borrows elements from the vocal style of Paul Weller, Ian Astbury and Jim Morrison. It's tied together with compositions inspired by the bands of artists such as Marcus King, Altın Gün and Nick Cave. 

Editor's Choices: 'All The Lives I Never Led', 'There's No End' & 'Damn You Devil Damn You'

Maybe it's one of the few times that Lagoniko has such a hard time picking out a track. In fact, unable to single out just one, I'll suggest three of them! First off, the album's opening track 'All The Lives I Never Led' is a song with a really beautiful melody. At the same time, Iam Nothe's delivery gives it a bit of a 70s feel, while the use of keys alongside the guitar riffs makes the build-up to the chorus even bigger. Also really distinctive are the guitar rhythms, which have a funk character and build gradually throughout the track.

My heart is racing mama
I cannot look down
I've climbed so high and now I
I just can't turn around
My heart is racing mama
Why won't you look down
I just can't take the drama
I just cant take it

All the lives I never led
They're like stones around my neck
And this road I commit to
Is a loop
Further down the rabbit hole
Thought that I would find a soul
For a minute it looked like you
Was it you

'There's No End'

And from the album's first track 'The Grand Design' we jump straight to the penultimate 'There's No End'. With the song moving at a slow tempo, its melodies and dynamics grow more intense with every listen.

‘GUITAR GEEK ALERT': The guitars on this one are excellent, and they use a variety of effects, among them my beloved Octafuzz, which gives the riffs volume and a lot of beauty.

Perhaps the second darkest track on the album, it strongly recalls Nick Cave and gets us following its rhythm and singing along 'ah ah ah ah‘..! 

Deal with it, all the guilt
All that's gone
For so long
Go back and see yea
See what is done
What's not you

There's no end
Nothing to mend
Don't even know
Am I high or low yea
Don't even care
Am I here or there
There's no end

'Damn You Devil Damn You'

Finally, the album closes with 'Damn You Devil Damn You‘, a track we had the chance to hear in a live version of theirs performed live by Cyanna Mercury at Γιάφκα. With some differences in this album version, the song remains very powerful, and it's also the only one whose sound differs quite a lot from the rest. It's definitely up there among the darkest tracks on the record.

Damn you devil damn you
I thought we could be friends
You broke the promise damn you
You broke the promise in the end
Just like your father
You abandoned
And then you changed the terms
Oh damn you devil damn you
You cost me all I had yea

Damn you devil damn you
Damn you devil damn you
Damn you devil damn you
Damn you devil damn you

God don't love me anymore
He don't want me in his world
And I try to sing his song
But the words are wrong

Tracklist:

1. All The Lives I Never Led
2. Lord You Are The Cure
3. Holding On
4. Babylon Burn
5. The Grand Design
6. Path Of Least Resistance
7. There's No End
8. Damn You Devil Damn You

Credits:

Lyrics: Spyreas Sid
All musical compositions were made by Spyreas Sid except for:

1, 2, 8 by Spyreas Sid & Nick Sid

6 by Spyreas Sid & George Katsanos
7 by Vangelis Ananides & Spyreas Sid

Musicians who took part:
Spyreas Sid: vocals, percussion, synth & sample programming
Gustav Penka: drums, bongos, congas
George Katsanos: rhythm & lead guitars, bass
Blvck Disco: lead guitars on 2, 4, 7
Joseph Kiritsis: lead guitars on 3
Nick Sid: rhodes, wurlitzer, organ, moog on 1,2,3,5
Alex Darmis: extra synths & keys on 4,6,7,8
Esterina: backing vocals on 1, 2 

Arranged by Spyreas Sid
Produced by Alex Bolpasis & Spyreas Sid
Recorded and Mixed by Alex Bolpasis at Suono (Facebook, Instagram), Athens
Mastered by Nick Townsend at Infrasonic Sound (Facebook, Instagram), Los Angeles

The photos are by Γιάννη Στασινόπουλου (Red Light Studio (Facebook, Instagram), Athens) and the design by Blvck Disco.

In conclusion

The project Iam Nothe makes a powerful debut with ‘The Grand Design‘. The album clearly bears the very distinctive compositional style of the Sid brothers, giving us 8 tracks with a unique aesthetic that stand well apart from anything else out there. If the breakup of Cyanna Mercurybummed you out, you can breathe easy now! A new era is starting and Iam Nothe will be leading us into it!