The Black Dog – Neither/Neither – (Dust Science Recordings)
DMC World Magazine
If anyone ever says to you that there is no thought going in to electronic music, just pass them on to The Black Dog. Their latest release ‘Neither/Neither’ is completely responsive to the way we live today, an age where propaganda and information saturation are at an all-time high, even for us here in the UK. So how to respond to that musically? ‘Neither/Neither’ is very clearly set out, beginning with oppressive but beat-free textures, the sheer weight of the cloudy sounds weighing heavy on the ears, though they are also incredibly ambient. Gradually beats begin to appear, slow at first in the concrete steps of the title track, but then speeding up. By the time we reach ‘Shut Eye’ it is as though the plane that has been on the runway for half the album is now showing signs of becoming airborne – and when ‘Self Organising Sealed Systems’ are reached a quick release of pent-up energy can be felt through caustic sounds and four to the floor beat. There we stay for the rest of the album, enjoying a few quality quicker numbers in the shape of ‘Commodification’, ‘Platform Lvl 6’ and ‘Hollow Stories, Hollow Head’. A powerful statement, whether you know about the story behind it or not.
