Where do I start with Excepter and their album “Black Beach”? I could probably start by questioning the mere definition of music. For a large duration of the tracks, there are no obvious instruments present. The same pretty much goes for melody, rhythm, texture....surely what makes the core of music, no? There is an argument that Excepter draw upon natural instruments, mostly from objects and living things around us. In summary, your personal opinions and tastes are very much put to the test when you listen to this album.

With the aptly named ‘Sand Dollar’, the sound of waves crashing is followed by a lonely wind instrument and the quivering of a tambourine. Very meditative to start with, but unfortunately after four minutes I wasn’t honestly looking forward to the other four... Depending on what kind of mood you are in to begin with, you may want to drift off into a peaceful sleep, or decide to buy a punch bag. Either way, you have to give Excepter credit for being experimental. Their Myspace page does, after all, list some of their influences as being weather, traffic and food amongst others! ’Castle Moro’s aboriginal beats do have some charm and you can hear and feel the atmosphere build through the pulsing synth which makes for a more interesting listen. But overall, I can’t help thinking that maybe these New Yorkers have been “chilling” way to much if you know what I’m saying?

The album is an accompaniment to a live DVD shot at Big Sur beach in California in 2008. This will probably pay for a more interesting experience as I think you may gain more out of seeing how the band actually “perform” and get the most out of their environment. For now, I think Excepter should head back to the studio and forget frolicking around in the wilderness for a while.