black midi - anyone been tracking these?

Black midi
Esp like the name, the drummer, the new hella/primus sounding song ...Their recent kexp session.

all smooth bonkers

— Stephen malkmus (@dronecoma) May 28, 2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0FypjnAZEk

ok their taylor swift cover rules

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOT1fOlOExY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIHKnPizo5Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yV6f6UKtR8

they're good at this covers thing wow

this album is pretty frustrating to me because i love it when they're not being a little too skronky

I wish you had all continued talking about Nicole Lizée, who needs rock music.

lol

i can post more of the youtube gimmick genre that they got their band name from if you want, it's kinda fascinating though gimmicky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzXDQZzQq6w

as i said originally i'd love to see someone do stuff with the ideas of this stuff that really explores the textural possibilities, instead of just seeing "ok how many midi notes can we have"

all smooth bonkers

must just be me but the hushed tones and buzz around this band makes no sense in my brain - every time I dig in and try to check it out I want it to stop after about 90 seconds -seems like a bunch of jazz school grads trying to be cool

i mean that pretty much is what they are

please do not ignore!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qojSPxNySRU

these covers alone should indicate they're a lot, lot more than 'a bunch of jazz school grads trying to be cool'

They can certainly play all the notes of King Crimson, Talking Heads and Beefheart, so good homework there.

Man, every single one of those covers videos is unavailable now.

i was not sold on these guys at first listen a month ago and then suddenly it clicked and I think they are amazing.

Yes they are great. It's easy to dismiss this guys, considerung the fact that the rest of the post punk/art rock British scene is mostly boring and pretentious. but black midi (and especially the new record) are the exception.

God bless this dude for not taking down his adorable old vids:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xAUq1xLGzM

Saw these live in Bristol on Saturday having never previously listened to them. Verdict: Yes, very clever but calm down

Obvs these dudes are all very talented but when I hear this kind of clever virtuosic music, I want to be able to hear what's going on. I like the sounds to be "tight", not smothered in reverb and unnecessary distortion. The singer was buried under piles of it, sounding like a circus crier faintly announcing stuff. His guitar tone was kind of frustrating - for the mostpart crunchy, low-mid range chords which inhabited much the same frequency as the keyboardist (who seemed to be there to supply whirling textures more than anything else). It was all a bit like being smacked in the face by jazz chords over and over again. They were at their best during the parts where they let their compositions breathe a bit, but even then when things quietened down it often just sounded like a band having a jam or a warm-up. So no, I'm not sold but I'll check out their album to see if it makes any more sense

I note you've all been too busy posting about classic rock and debating the progginess of Radiohead (lol)

Anyway, fuck all that

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efmq_uXt1Rk

they covered taylor swift

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RC-Yl0L3Vis

they also covered "21st century schizoid man" and "moonlight in vermont" in less piss-take-y fashion (tho there are still elements of piss take lol)

i was bummed I missed them live the other month but a friend who went told me is was really a mess. not sure if that's always the case or if it was just this tour; I've seen live clips of them and thought they were great; so could have been a case of different expectations.

Well! this is just about the best album ever

yeah this is cool. that "Welcome to Hell" track posted above is pretty fantastic

It's good but I prefer Cavalcade still - this is a bit relentlessly vaudevillian, prefer 'em when the songs meander and build

It may click fully at some point though, especially if I follow along with a lyric sheet

I'm liking these new songs better than the stuff I've heard from them in the past. I have a feeling I'm going to like this album.

At various moments it put me in mind of Beefheart, The Garden, Jono El Grande, Benjamin Clementine, Sun Ra, Horse Lords, Naked City, Ought, Incredible String Band, Jason Forrest - that's an impressive range of weird music to be evoked by just a few songs. Actually I think keeping the dial stuck on eleven is a good mode for them.

Fell in love with Cavalcade on the first listen. This one is going to take a few more than that. Overall, I did like it on the first pass. There’s a lot to digest.

Vocals on "Welcome To Hell" remind me of "One Night In Bangkok"

i don't love this but it's another big step in the right direction for them, by far the most i've enjoyed them

also actually kind of approaches the feeling of their namesake in places