Black Feelings
(Alien8)
Dark, moody and intense, Montreal's Black Feelings are a does-what-it-says-on-the-box band.
Indeed, the dreaded G-word does immediately spring to mind here, but Black Feelings are by no means latter-day Goths. Their connection to that genre isn't a direct one: rather, they evoke an innovative strain of pre-Goth post-punk, rich in sonic motifs that would then be formulaically appropriated by legions of second-rate groups sporting silly outfits and ill-advised make-up. Black Feelings brims with those signatures of Goth avant la lettre, foregrounding tumbling rhythms and tribal beats; deep, echoing vocals; prominent melodic basslines; and mesmeric, dirgey grooves -- supplemented with austere electronic textures that enhance the brooding ambience and give the band's music a distinctive edge.
There's some continuity here from the frenetic, noisy instrumentals of the defunct Les Angles Morts, with whom Kyle Fostner (guitar/synth) and Owain Lawson (drums/vocals) served -- but, for the most part, Black Feelings work within more structured, song-based formats. Some of the strongest moments in that regard are the galloping "Eternal Bad Trip" and the slower, but no less menacing and relentless "Hidden Dance."
One of the key reference points here appears to be This Heat, another intense trio with a singing drummer. While that influence manifests itself in the stop-start rhythms, chanted vocals and martial beat of tracks like "Lost Rings Pt. 1," it's also apparent on the more experimental pieces, particularly the expansive, droning standout "Aum Shinrikyo" and the melancholy, atmospheric "Gails," where Lawson's wailing vocal also calls to mind Eyeless in Gaza.
Over the last five years or so, it's become almost de rigueur for bands to mine the post-punk era for inspiration. More often than not, this results in clever but rather superficial pastiche. Black Feelings, however, deserve kudos for doing something a little more substantive: sure, they recycle aspects of a very specific late-'70s/early-'80s vocabulary, but they add their own distinctive accent.
Standout Tracks: "Lost Rings Pt. 1," "Gails," "Aum Shinrikyo" WILSON NEATE
