Black Dice - Mod Prog Sic (Oct 2021)

[Chedney Honks]

First track released, White Sugar.

https://youtu.be/sYMuTj9ZMOs

It sounds exactly like BD but with some recentish solo Eric Copeland vocals and a pop vibe.

[sevendaughters]

yeah s'alright. don't think they're going to change the world anymore. there was a great article that I can't find anymore that was an oral history of their chaotic anti-music punk days. I saw 'em open for GY!BE when they were touring Beaches and Canyons. covered a lot of ground haven't they, but since Cone Toaster they have a general vibe. just chatting here.

[phantom_power]

Sounds like a 2000s E4 interstitial dragged out to five minutes. I LOVED IT

[Famous Mortimer]

I'm just listening to an early Wolf Eyes album ("Technical Difficulties"), and I've got some of their collaborations with Black Dice cued up soon. Fine band, and I like this new stuff too.

[The Mollusk]

dragged out

This would be my overriding criticism of it as well, albeit negatively. The distorted synth melody that comes in for the last couple minutes really makes you realise the length of the song, and I think a fair whack of this could have been trimmed out and the song would have benefited a lot more from being 3:30-4:00 instead.

I think objectively speaking, as a piece of abstract beat-driven electronica, it is a decent track, but as a Black Dice track it's merely quite good. As sevendaughters sez, they're comfortably past the peak of their experimental prime now, certainly when compared their peers Matmos who are still making consistently banging, weird, fun and envelope-pushing music to this day. Still looking forward to the album though, this song is at least better than Copeland's last release which I thought was fairly dull.

"Load Blown" is still my fave I reckon, I had such a deep emotional connection to "Drool" when Chedney Crab posted it here back in '07. I adore that record.

[Chedney Honks]

Days are gone, although in many ways for the better.

Black Dice haven't been vital or whatever for nearly fifteen years but they're still up my street and I'll always enjoy a few listens. EC releases too much music arguably, loses the impact and weirdness, and there's now arguably too much BD/EC overlap in style but it's still stuff I really enjoy. I barely listen to many new bands these days, just tracks or patches of albums outside of my actual favourites, but BD are better than most.

Listened to Joke In The Hole on my commute this morning, really enjoyed it, not listened for ages. Can't wait to go home for many reasons but listening to it again is one.