London rock band
Black Midi crashed through in a big way with their 2019 debut album
Schlagenheim, a riveting mission statement for their energetic and boundary-testing reconfiguration of post-punk. As experimental as
Schlagenheim could be, second album
Cavalcade goes even further, as the band push into complete chaos as they move more toward prog, fusion, and jam band tendencies. Opening track "John L" sets the stage for
Black Midi's descent into musical anarchy. The song is driven by a gnawing, dissonant funk bassline overlaid with buzzy guitar noodling. Vocalist Geordie Greep's grumbling vocals run through psychedelic and apocalyptic images as the song's tempo ramps up and the band jerks and convulses in unison. Where the best moments of
Schlagenheim sounded like
Can jamming with
the Fall,
Cavalcade sounds like
Primus covering
King Crimson. Several of the eight tracks here go in a similarly proggy direction, including the ever-shifting "Hogwash and Balderdash" and the dynamic "Chrondromalacia Patella." There are still elements of the '90s post-rock influence holding out from the band's first album, even if they're updated with a newfound appreciation of prog. The whispery vocals, tight rhythms, and shadowy melodic figures of "Slow" recall
Slint and
June of '44, but add hyperactive guitar riffing and a saxophone solo before building to theatrical crescendo.
Black Midi's fine-tuned confusion is broken up by songs that are comparatively laid-back but no less bizarre in the context of the album. "Marlene Dietrich" is a loungy jaunt with crooned vocals and understated strings. "Diamond Stuff" is haunted and minimal, and "Dethroned" builds from a simmering,
Scott Walker-esque point into a tense, cacophonous groove. Bounding moment to moment from itchy prog to triumphant orchestral pop to near-ambient post-rock,
Cavalcade is a disorienting listening experience.
Black Midi's sound on these eight songs is defined by their eagerness to challenge themselves and their audience.
Cavalcade is intentionally oversaturated and designed to knock listeners off balance, and at its best, the album's overpowering rush of sounds and ideas communicates the excitement and a sense of unlimited possibilities. ~ Fred Thomas