Black Dice
DFA Records
Be glad that the members of Black Dice have chosen to pursue careers in music, rather than as, say, bus drivers or postal carriers; the results of these guys being trapped in miserable service sector jobs could have been disastrous, possibly on a global scale. That's how much aggression this Providence hardcore noise terrorism outfit has pent up inside. Live, the band's startling mix of ear-splitting sonic chaos and audience intimidation can be so traumatizing to those who attend their shows unprepared that it can lead to their institutionalization. On record, you're just glad they're trapped in your stereo and not loose in the room with you.
It's hard work describing a sound this totally unruly and utterly insane. You could say that Black Dice takes the electrified art punk aesthetic of Antioch Arrow, bleeds it into the confrontational experimental noise violence of Harry Pussy, then cranks up the volume and tempo to make the sound even more overwhelming. But that doesn't really do it justice. See for yourself just how nightmarishly angry Black Dice can be on their self-titled debut full-length on Troubleman.
But people change, and on their new album Beachs & Canyons (helmed by Fischer Spooner producer Nicholas Vernhes), Black Dice has taken a more relaxed and atmospheric approach to their exploration of experimental noise. Make no mistake, Black Dice remains magnificently unruly live. But this new recording diversifies their sound, showing that these boys are capable of a certain kind of calm, at least occasionally.
Jesse Ashlock
last updated:
05/20/02
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