Album Review: FabricLive 41 - Various mixed by Simian Mobile Disco

What happens if you create a robotic version of your dead ex-lover with artificial intelligence? Yes, it's obvious, everybody knows it will end up snapping and killing you and only in death will you truly be reunited with your squeeze.

Yet this is what it sounds like Simian Mobile Disco have done for their FabricLive album (that'll be 41 for you number fiends). It starts out all robotic but gradually gets a little nasty on you before you emerge, blinking, the other the side of the pearly gates at The Walker Brother's 'Night Flights'.

The spooky Santiago remix of Hercules and Love Affair's 'Blind' eptimomises this mix perfectly. From a distance it might sound like it loves you but when you hear the spooky electronic echoes, whooshing ghost noises and masses of dead space you realize your phone was being tapped the whole time and a swat team are smashing through your bedroom windows.

BlackPlastic said that the recent Simian Mobile Disco Clocks EP was "alright-not-great-innit". Maybe it's the context of the album. Maybe it's the remanent dopamine still coursing through BlackPlastic's body post-SMD's Field Day performance. Hell, maybe BP was just on crack at the time because, here, 'Simple' sounds fucking awesome, fool. As does most of side one (hillarious throw back to tape, or vinyl, take your pick).

The first half of this album is like Space Invaders taking over your little brain and that'll do just fine, thanks very much. Check out Smith N Hack's 'Space Warrior' and Discodeine's 'Joystick', even the titles scream: "The Princess is in another castle!"

Where this drops the ball slightly is when it does things like relying on Metro Area's 'Miura', Paul Woolford's 'Erotic Discourse' and Green Velvet's 'Flash'. They were great once but they're just too well trodden these days. It's like your robot wife offering you missionary position: "That's great thanks, but I know it quite well... How about..."

Oh, and no matter how much Simian Mobile Disco love Simon Baker's remix of 'Sleep Deprivation' (apparently quite a lot) they need to stop being so coy. The original is probably the best pure club track they have ever done and to snub it is unnecessary.

It starts brilliantly. It isnt as good as their Bugged Out mix. It becomes slightly less exciting towards the end. It's still the best fabric album in a while. Go figure.

BP x

Album Review: V - Van She

It seems a lifetime ago that Van She's original five-track EP came out and as such a significant level of expectation potentially burdens this release. Things aren't made any easier by the fractured styles the band have meta-morphasised throughout this period and it is interesting to see how they address this point within an album strucuture.

The answer is actually straight forward, if slightly disappointing. V is a rock album, plain and simple, and so everything fits within the template of early singles 'The Cat & The Eye' and 'Strangers'. That disappointment isn't to suggest what is here isn't good, it is. Within the new context both of the aforementioned tracks shine, whilst 'Changes' sounds reminiscent of Zoot Woman's muted and monochromatic take on pop music and 'It Could Be The Same' and closer 'On The Edge' show a darker side.

Atmosphere abounds, V is just perhaps more sophisticated than we had come to expect. Even the gorgeous 80s cocaine ride of an anthem that is 'Kelly' has been revised and toned down slightly into something slightly more subtle.

V is a lush album and what it loses in excitement it gains in cohesiveness, accesibility and maturity. BlackPlastic may well be playing it all summer but you can be sure a little part of us is hoping for the next album to encapsulate the dayglo acid excessiveness of remix side project Van She Tech.

BP x

Subscription options back up and working...

...Okay, so the RSS links weren't working when we went live, they are now - you can subscribe to updates or to comments on the right hand side.

BP x

Comment: Make This Work - Magistrates

It's only electronic in the sense that some of the intruments are plugged in, but fuck it, absolutely nothing is pleasing BlackPlastic as much right now as a four piece from Essex known as The Magistrates.  'Make This Work' is like Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together' but made in 2008 by a bunch of skinny white british kids and it makes BlackPlastic want to tear off his clothes and go skinny dipping in a lake on a beautiful summer's day.

What's more these fucking crazy kids give you all this FREE... Just sign up for some spam at http://www.magistratesband.com/ and you'll get the track plus an acapella for nada.  If you're prescious about you email address and don't take BP's word on the value here head over to the band's MySpace to preview the goodness.

BP x

Album Review: Mega Breakfast - The Chap

How to make a relevant album in 2008:

1. Take the most culturally aware sophisticate you know. BlackPlastic will refer to this gentleman as 'Ian'.

2. Force said gentleman to form band and make album in one week with no food, but plenty of cigarettes.

3. Threaten to cut off a finger whenever 'Ian' uses familiar song structures or dares to make sounds that could induce chin stroking in the listener.

4. In order to induce a further sense of urgency steal the masters on day six at 6pm, forcing 'Ian' to start again.

The resulting album would sound something like Mega Breakfast. It's diverse and chaotic.  It's reminiscent of Clor and Data Rock but with added smarts and, by George, if you know what genre it should be in let BlackPlastic know.

But most importantly it has enough pop hooks to drag you in and enough ideas to make sure you don't leave.

It sounds like sarcastic commentary on what it is like to be in an up-and-coming band,  It's unmistably London, 2008, but don't hold that against it as 'Proper Rock' will soundtrack BlackPlastic's election campaign when we run, if only for the "Proper songs about girls and clubbing" refrain, and 'Uss Wus' is an electronic gospal track for those moments when you feel defeated by your own ambition.

BP x

New site live

In case you weren't sure the new site is live! It has a nicer look! It's black, like our name! It's... still the same under the covers!

But seriously, it's been due to happen for a long time and now here it is.  There will be more changes forthcoming (finally a contact form for submission information for one) but the hard bit is now done.

The design is anything but nailed down so comments and suggestions are welcome.

EDIT: Contact form up and running - click on Contact in the navigation pane on the right.  If you are subscribed to the old RSS feed please re-subscribe.  You can also now subscribe to comments.

BP x

New site design coming at ya live...

BlackPlastic will finally be getting a bit of an overhaul, hopefully within the next few days...

...One downside is that existing RSS subscribers may find their feed dries up - there will be a new one but BlackPlastic isn't sure if it'll just start feeding through the old address.

Please check back in a day or two to resubscribe.

Thanks,

BP x