 This year more than any other I have craved fresh, exciting sounds from artists trying their best to push the boundaries of music; artists who will use any instrument/implement or recording techniques to steer their music down untrodden paths. And it’s been a fruitful year; there has been much to quench my thirst for the unconventional, and long may it continue, but there will always remain a place for the conventional, the habitual song-writing techniques that have worked for decades. Yes there will always be a place for bands like Soft Black, and likewise for albums such as “The Earth is Black (and Other Apocalyptic Lullabies for Children)”.
Brooklyn’s Soft Black (aka Vincent Cacchione and his band) certainly go against the grain of the New York suburb’s more fashionable musical styles. In most cities a band would stand out for not producing what could be classed as ‘meat and two veg’ rock n roll, but this is ‘kookie Brookie’ so avant is always on the gardes. Soft Black may well share little in common with Battles, Gang Gang Dance or Dirty Projectors to name just three of the three million bands that have already poured out of Brooklyn over the last few years, but they are no less worthy of finding favour elsewhere.
“The Earth is Black,” Soft Black’s second full length, is essentially a concept album based on a series of nightmares Cacchione had during a seven month period when the songwriters notorious sleeplessness was at its worst. One particularly pleasant phantasm inspired the albums highlight, the garage punk anthem ‘I am an Animal’ – “With every tear through the carcass when the blood keeps on flowing till the heart gets drier. Still, sick or scared, just some bones left in the mud and the hair that grows after the pulse gets tired.” I think you’d want to remain awake after that head trip.
Elsewhere the band explore classic rock (‘The Lions’), breezy Americana (‘Time Gets Away and Has Its Way With You’), chipper country (‘Ashtray Christ’, ‘Kissing the Dirt’) and not-so-chipper country (‘Mouth is Drippin’). The latter features lyrics so conscious and calculated that it’s hard to believe they are only inspired by a random nightmare, and not some deep-set bitterness toward an ex-lover, beginning with, “You’re only around when your pockets are bare. You’re bearing your soul to get close to me. You’re only around when you’ve run out of food, but I guess that’s just why you came back to me,” before twisting the knife with “your mouth is dripping, dripping, dripping down to the floor, and if a whore’s all you are then maybe all you are is a whore. Then no one’s gonna love you, they’ll just fuck you till you’re sore, while your mouth is dripping right down to the floor.” I don’t think that one will even be on his Halloween card list.
The truth is though, despite the far-from-joyful lyrical content, there are many reasons to find joy in “The Earth is Black.” Mainly it’s because the song-writing is strong and is confidently showcased in a relatively raw state; recorded in just a few takes and free from gimmicky studio effects or any trace of pretention. Cacchione closes the album with “All these nightmares swirling and some of them are real. If I wake up shaking and my heart is racing, then I’ll wake up shaken”..... but at least you’ll have the inspiration for some of the finest song-writing of the year. Some dreams are not all bad then.
Tracklist:
01 The Earth Is Black
02 The Flesh Of The Sky
03 I Am An Animal
04 Ashtray Christ
05 Mouth Is Drippin'
06 The Lions
07 Time Gets Away And Has It's Way With You
08 Kissing The Dirt
09 Did You Put a Smell on Me
10 Night Terrors
Last edited by altsounds : October 6, 2009 at 12:53 AM.
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| | | | Overall Rating | | 7 | | Vocals / Lyrics | | 8 | | Musicianship | | 6 | | Production | | 7 | | Creativity | | 7 | | Lastability | | 8 | | Reviewers Tilt | | 6 |
70% | |
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