Can’t figure out this band name. It’s one of three things, right? Black Feelings are either keeping in line with the tradition of naming your band Black ____ (Black Eyes, Black Dice, Black Sabbath, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Black Lips, Black Keys, Black Mountain, Black Angels, Black Kids, Black Flag, Black Francis, Crunchy Black, Fleetwood Black, etc… DUDES, MY SHIT IS CONFUSED), relating some sort of odd commentary on race relations, or it’s something nonsensical/an inside joke we’re not privy to. It’s perhaps worth mentioning that none of these dudes are black (though race is a social construct, but that’s a different conversation). They are all Canadian, though, and more importantly, they are a neo-no wave collective that totally rip.
The little bit of press that this evil triage has garnered most often compares them to Liars. I think that’s fair, though I think their lush, brooding, echo chamber art punk is closer to This Heat and Suicide with a slice of shoegaze aesthetics and freak electro. However, Black Feelings have a sound all their own. A little bit of Throbbing Gristle’s abrasiveness here, a dash of epic angular battle marches a la Swell Maps there, and insane sound effects peppered about in a very Acid Mothers Temple manner, all conceived in a relatively easy-to-swallow package that is both fun and mind-expanding. A real joy to listen to, despite song titles like “Eternal Bad Trip.”
Their eponymous debut is available now on the very underrated Alien8 Recordings.
For fans of: Swell Maps, This Heat, Women
MP3 :::
Black Feelings – Golden Children
Black Feelings – Eternal Bad Trip
