Big Black Delta – Big Black Delta Reviewed

Coming to prominence with last years cranium crushing 'IFUCKINGLOVEYOU, Big Black Deltas long player deals with the kind of harsh electronics and dramatic pop music M83 excelled in before they headed for the commercial pop dolla. This move has left the throne of synthgaze up for grabs to the likes of Washed Out and Neon Indian, and Big Black Delta is cosy company for these acts, like a snotty, louder and more attention seeking younger brother.

Ditching the more traditional sound of his day job as front man with L.A rock band Mellowdrone, Jonathan Bates side-project is the sound of malfunctioning recording equipment in a blood splattered studio. From the outset, Bates intention to fuse dance music with rock is realised, but not in a hammer the head in way from the likes of the Prodigy, underneath all the bluster beats a pop heart, not your regular hearts and roses fodder, its seriously roided up, overly loud but knows when to tone it down.

Opening track 'Put The Gun On The Floor' highlights Bates scattergun approach, when he wants to use guitars, he uses guitars, when a brain frazzling synth breakdown is required, he applies one with a healthy disregard for genre limitation. There are rolling electro basslines and heavily processed vocodered vocals, the album is as indebted to The Pet Shop Boys and forgotten b-sides from Casablanca 12s as it is Nine Inch Nails and Brotherhood era New Order.

Hes not afraid to camp it up either, Side Of The Road could just as easily have late 70s era Donna Summer singing it, at the other end of the scale, 09 x 22 rocks harder than Josh Homme and 'Capsize' is the kind of tune Friendly Fires wish they could achieve, the prettiness of which is blackened by a smear of analogue interference.

Although at times BBD; is like receiving a cosy bear hug while someone screams into your ear, Bates can wrench angst from machinery but on the dreamy Dreary Moon he shows he can also pull off melancholic romanticisms just as effectively. BBDs strength is in the makers ability to switch genres while maintaining cohesion, its schizophrenic, at times shattering and totally exhilarating.

'Big Black Delta' is available for purchase over on iTunes, or if you fancy the limited edition vinyl that's on sale here.

Chris Todd