Schlagenheim
by Black Midi

black midi is not just a hype, for several months, I promise a bright future for this new English band. The four musicians have risen with ridiculous ease to the rank of the most exciting band of the UK underground scene, claiming their outsider status by an incredible stage presence. Everything starts with a live recorded in the studios of the KEXP radio. They become the ones we expect, they intrigue the specialized press and remain however in a virtual silence. And after months of waiting, the time of the first effort has finally come; "Schlagenheim" is released. The first impression must always be the strongest; and that, black midi understood it well. The visual and musical chaos offered by the quartet is in fact perfectly controlled. Architects of anarchy, black midi also know how to slow down the pace. Schlagenheim has just closed the question that burned the lips of all music lovers: black midi are not just a hype. They are reinventing guitar rock with one of the most dazzling debut album of the decade.

9/10

Best track: "Near DT, MI"

With every listen I give this album, my faith in the future of rock as a whole becomes a little more restored. This thing blends genres I never thought could be blended, creating entirely unique sounds - which is vital for the creation and growth of future genres.

Not to be dramatic or anything, but if Schlagenheim reaches a large enough audience, it has potential to be the most important rock album of the late 2010s, if not the whole decade.

From AvalancheGrips 09/01/2019 14:40 | #242046 | TOP COMMENT Vote up your preferred comments and the comments with the most votes will be flagged.

A refreshing debut from this band. This album sounds like so many bands, yet it is completely new and infinitely bold. It has the grooves of Talking Heads, the guitar effects of Radiohead, the samples and soundscapes of Swans, the math rock drums of Fugazi and Slint, and the modern sensibilities of newer bands like IDLES and Parquet Courts. This is Album of the Year for me. I don't think anything, not even IGOR or the new Tool album, can top this.

I have literally never heard anything like this before and I love it. The closest comparison would be Trout Mask Replica with how unconventional and out of control it is. I heard sounds on this album that I'd never heard before in my life. I need more material from these guys asap

BRIT school alumni Black Midi are probably the most hyped underground indie/alt rock band in Britain at the moment. After a string of live recordings and singles, they have released a chaotic blend of This Heat, Silent Alarm-era Bloc Party, Slint and Daughters, channeling unorthodox structures, eccentric vocal habits and obscure lyricism. While the band is clearly anchored by the unrelenting, cartwheeling Geordie Greep, it's apparent that every member contributes towards songwriting responsibilities. Fronted by bassist Cameron Picton, 'Speedway' is a low key highlight with it's intuitive crescendos and drops and deceptively simple chord progression. Elsewhere, guitarist Matt Kelvin helms Years Ago, which builds tension in it's suspended-in-animation verses before dropping into pummeling choruses driven by angular guitar riffs, blistering hi hats and incomprehensible, gutteral screaming.

Translating the dynamism of their live shows to the studio was always going to be difficult, and unfortunately everything other than drums has been mixed in a way that sounds cluttered, flat and squashed with the guitars of Greep and Kelvin tugging against eachother for breathing space. This may be aesthetic choice (Greep has been quoted as saying his favourite records are those where the artists are still finding their way around their own songs), but it's also possible the lack of clarity in the mix is a missed opportunity. Aside from this, an incredibly satisfying and promising debut from an exciting (and incredibly noisy) band.