Black Blondie - Do You Remember Who You Wanted To Be

Black Blondie - Do You Remember Who You Wanted To Be
Grade: A-
(Self-Released)

*MP3: Black Blondie - "Candy Cigarettes"

Slug of Atmosphere, during his one-time stint as love advice columnist for The AV Club, advised one reader that some people were addicted to drama in the same way that others were addicted to drugs. Based on some of the lyrical content of Black Blondie’s newest album, Do You Remember Who You Wanted To Be, there was some considerable drama addiction that inspired the musically eclectic collection of 10 tracks (love being compared to hunger and drug addition are but two typical metaphors).

But that relationship's loss is the listeners' gain, as Black Blondie take the pain and use it to transformative effect, effortlessly incorporating divergent styles as gospel, hip-hop, electro-pop and trip-hop into one impressively cohesive whole. The reason for Do You Remember's artistic success is that the band's approach to genre experimentation is constantly energetic, and possibly insouciant, even when the music itself is solemn, like on highlights "Hunger" and "Dirty Ashes" (featuring a verse from Muja Messiah).

The final result is that an invigorating listening experiences from a group with endless creative possibilities.

Black Blondie CD release party is at the Triple Rock tonight:



Black Blondie MySpace Page

(Jon Graef)