Mr. Impossible (Black Dice)

Chronique

In the past 15 years, a number of acts have attempted to bridge the great divide that exists between electronic music and dissonant noise. Over this time, Williamsburg trio Black Dice have polarized listeners, creating an insider scene that has been genuinely unique, progressive, and fully committed to turning music inside out. The experimentalists’ sixth outing, Mr. Impossible, continues to buck trends and sticks to the anti-formula of 2009’s Repo. Equipped with the same reluctant drum machine, an armory of effects boxes, and stacks of vintage gear (rarely traditional: more like junkyard keyboards and cassette players), Eric Copeland, Bjorn Copeland, and Aaron Warren haven’t abandoned their quirks, they’ve come to terms with them. A palette of warbled loops, modulated vocals, and circuit-bent crunches has always made for a beguiling ride, but over time these sounds have become a recognizable trademark. The familiar skronks and bloops keep listeners grounded, even when the instrumentation is unclear or melody and structure are thrown out the window. When things come together straight away, as with “The Jacker,” it still sounds more like an automobile factory stamping bolts than a typical pop song. But the challenge of finding the magic behind the madness is part of the thrill for fans, and Black Dice maintain the high experimental standards that made their other records cult favorites, and manage to present their spectrum of squelches in a more focused way than usual, without sacrificing playfulness.
© Jason Lymangrover /TiVo