‘Welcome to our disinformation’ reads the conclusion of the press release for this double release from The Black Dog, who have responded to the current world climate with not one but two albums to help people deal with their paranoid mind set. The two are companions – the uptempo Post-Truth delivering a dark but intense response to growing horror at the likes of Trump, getting it out through the dancefloor, and the thick and humid ambience of Black Daisy Wheel giving us some ambient respite and a little bit of comfort. Within the ambience there remains a certain resolution, especially in tracks like ‘We Must Repeat’, which boasts a dubby bass line Jah Wobble would be proud of, and the majestic ‘Autohoaxer’, which sounds like it could have stepped straight from a Nordic noir soundtrack. Post-Truth, with its brilliant cover, is out of the blocks immediately, the rumbling rhythm track of ‘Cognitive Dissonance’ demanding that the feet get moving without delay. Gradually the textures pan out to more treble involvement, as the hazy ‘Séance Of Entitlement’ will testify, but the mood remains dark, the glowering clouds shot through with occasional lightning (‘Anticipation Occupation’) or rolling beats giving quick and easy dancefloor interaction (the brooding ‘Technological Utopians’). This is a brilliant pair of albums from some of Sheffield’s finest, best experienced together for the full cumulative effect to pack the maximum punch but also solace.
Ben Hogwood
5 out of 5
THE BLACK DOG – BLACK DAISY WHEEL & POST-TRUTH (DUST SCIENCE)
