Black Dice “Load Blown”
PAW 18 Paw Tracks CD/EP/Digital
300 dpi jpeg of front cover:
black dice 300 dpi jpeg photos:
Load
Blown is the fourth album by Brooklyn’s Black Dice. The beats drip
and roll, tar-pit voices sing into an oil can, and the guitars crank like
calliope. Some tunes crackle and burble like submerged television, others bump
and click along like a Summer Jam concert series from another dimension.
While a noticeable change in tone encompasses Load Blown (some tunes veer
close to pop songs), this is a work of over-stimulation, a product of frenzied
media culture, a sonic sifting of the gratuitous amount of “stuff” out
there.
The span of time (nearly 18 months of on-again/off-again work) encompassing the
composition and recording of the album accounts for a sprawling variety of
sounds and songs. Strange and
abrasive, yet somehow more familiar, accessible, and celebratory than ever, this
is Black Dice at their most palatable yet.
Marketing/Promotion:
- Press by Force Field PR
- Radio Promotion by Terrorbird
- Retail Promotion by Track Star Media
- There will be a music video to accompany the release
- Black Dice will undergo an extensive North American tour in November
Black Dice album info:
- “Load Blown” is a compilation of three 12” vinyl EPs that have been released with special edition posters plus exclusive unreleased tracks.
- The “Manoman” 12” was released on DFA records in the summer of 2006.
- The “Roll Up/Drool” 12” was released earlier this year by Paw Tracks.
- The final EP release (released at the same time as the “Load Blown” cd) will be the remaining five tracks not previously released on vinyl.
Tracklisting: 1. Kokomo 2. Roll Up 3. Gore 4. Bottom Feeder 5. Scavenger 6. Drool 7. Toka Toka 8. Cowboy Soundcheck 9. Bananas 10. Manoman
Release Date: October 23rd, 2007
Black Dice Bio
Black
Dice formed during the spring of 1997 in Providence, RI as a loud, chaotic mix
of early-eighties-inspired thrash and harsh noise experimentation. At the time,
Bjorn Copeland (guitar), Hisham
Bharoocha (drums), and Sebastian
Blanck (bass) were students at the Rhode Island School of Design while Bjorn’s
brother Eric Copeland (vocals) was attending high school in Maine.
Early
shows seldom lasted more than fifteen minutes and were characterized by violent
performances where injuries were often sustained by the band and audience alike.
Live sets mixed structured songs with improvised sound manipulation and shows
differed from night to night.
In
the summer of 1998 the band relocated to NYC where Eric was going to college. At
an early New York performance the band met current member Aaron Warren who had
recently moved from Los Angeles to attend NYU. In the spring of 1999 Sebastian
left the band and Aaron joined the group.
It
was around that time that the emphasis shifted from conventional song structures
to more open-ended sonic investigations. Shows
of this era maintained an equally physical presence through the use of high
volume levels and an extreme range of frequencies, and violent performance
became less frequent. The music bore more resemblance to crude first generation
industrial music or contemporary power electronics than straight noise or
hardcore.
By
the fall of 2001 live shows had grown in length to almost five or six times of
the earlier sets, with the occasional song reaching 45 minutes.
An emphasis on signal processing provided a broader sonic palette. While
volume and physical presence of sound remained crucial, melody and repetition
became key compositional elements. The shift in focus introduced a new gentle
and tuneful quality to the intense, brash music.
In
spring of 2004, the band parted ways with longtime drummer and friend Hisham
Bharoocha. Though a trying
transition, the band continued writing, recording and touring as a three-piece.
Metamorphosed once again, Black Dice emerged as a tight compositional
unit, with little emphasis remaining on improvisation or long-form songs.
A near-pop sensibility was embraced, with shorter and catchier tunes
bouncing forth. The music currently
retains elements of noise and proto-industrial experimentation, while
organically suggesting minimal, electronic, hip-hop and psychedelic ideas as
well as those of punk, tropicalia, and dub.
Visual
art has been a key counterpart to the music, with all record-sleeve design by
band members. Artists Ara Peterson
and Danny Perez have made videos for songs, and Mr. Perez has contributed a live
video mix to the band’s live set since fall of 2005.
Recent releases include limited edition posters, and in summer 2005, the
group released its first non-music release; a 128-page book of collage art made
in collaboration with photographer Jason Frank Rothenberg.
The
band has toured America and Europe dozens of times, and has visited Japan twice.
In 2005, the trio recorded an album in Byron Bay, Australia following a
tour. In 2006, the band played in
Brazil and a live set was captured on national television in Lima, Peru.
Virtually any and every type of venue has served as the backdrop for Black Dice
shows; from basements and warehouses to art galleries and museums, from house
shows to gigantic outdoor festivals or formal seated theaters.
Placing the music in a context contrary to the average show remains a
compelling inspiration for unique performances.
Load Blown
2007 Paw Tracks
Broken Ear
Record
2005 DFA/ Astralwerks/ EMI
Creature
Comforts
2004 DFA/FatCat
Black
Dice/Wolf Eyes collab.
LP
2003 Fusetron
Beaches
& Canyons
2002 DFA/FatCat
Roll Up/
Drool
2007 Paw Tracks
Manoman +2
2006 DFA
Smiling Off
2005 DFA/ Astralwerks/ EMI
Wastered
split with Animal Collective
2004 Paw Tracks
Miles of
Smiles
2004 DFA/ FatCat
Cone Toaster
2003 DFA
Lost Valley
2003 Tigerbeat6/ Catsup Plate
Balls 7”
& 40-page book
2001 31G
Cold Hands
2001 Troubleman
split 7”
with Erase Errata
2001 Troubleman
Semen of the
Sun
2000 Tapes Records
Pink 10”/cd
2000 Troubleman
Untitled AKA
Printed Paper
1998 Verminscum
Lambs Like Fruit
1998 Gravity
Gore
2006 Picture Box, Inc.