Kadhim's totally hot album of the week #4
Blue Sky Black Death – Noir (2011)
Of all the shit stage-names artists have given themselves in the history of music, ‘Bono’ has got to be the worst. But ‘Young God’, one-half of Seattle-based Blue Sky Black Death (BSBD), is definitely a close second. In fact, if BSBD weren’t so damn fantastic, I’d say he was an arrogant so-and-so (thankfully U2’s songs afford them no such protection).
BSBD’s latest album, Noir[spotify], is an education in how to make epic electronic/instrumental music properly. What I mean by this is that instead of brazenly shouting, “THIS MUSIC IS FOR STADIUMS” (*ahem, M83…) their music takes you on an expressive emotional journey that just so happens to include the feeling of staring deep into an eternal sky.
Flowery language aside, it’s the logical conclusion of moving instrumental hip-hop away from the dancefloor. Songs like 'Sleeping Children Are Still Flying' may have a wicked country-infused drop, but it doesn’t rest on its laurels; the remaining five and a half minutes are varied and diverse, with nary a hint of a repetitive chorus.
So my advice, no, my plea to you this week, is sit yourself on your bed, hook up the speakers, and enjoy the sensation of falling through the abyss.
Blue Sky Black Death sample Brobama’s Lincoln Memorial speech on their track 'And Stars, Ringed'. Tweet me your favourite sample @kadhimshubber. Better still, tweet Brobama @BarackObama and lobby him to start a career as a DJ…
