Geordie Greep (guitar, vocals), Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin (guitar, vocals), Cameron Picton (bass, vocals) and Morgan Simpson (drums) are Black Midi - a London-based rock band that many international fans stumbled across by way of a scintillating 2018 KEXP live session. The band's visceral yet complex nature was startling, especially considering the fact that each member looked like they could be in high school. Moments of their sound invited classification, but the disparate nature of the whole seemed to ask the listener to do away with concrete labels entirely. For rock aficionados hell-bent on labels, one could say noise-rock, post-punk and math-rock each have a sizeable steak in whatever people feel like calling Schlagenheim. With the impressive nature of the KEXP session and the Black Midi's already much hyped live reputation in the London scene, the question was always going to be whether they could deliver in a studio session - Schlagenheim answers that with an emphatic yes.
The album opens with the relentless riffs and powerful drumming of "953". Geep, who handles lead vocals here and in the majority of the record, comes in when the guitars' rage and distortion briefly give way to a sparse, calmer atmosphere. He sings with a captivating eccentric cadence and a sharp, odd tone that may prove to be a bit too affected for some listeners and enticingly weird for others. Although it is particular, there is a range to what Geep does vocally, and whether he is being a bit more conventional and melodic ("Western") or rambling through prickly guitar structures ("Reggae"), he never sounds out of place.
Building tension and unleashing startling moments of controlled chaos seems to be Black Midi's specialty. "Bmbmbm" features a steady beat that is occasionally visited by brief, hectic freak-outs before things get extremely heavy in the final portion of the track. Geep is at his most outlandish here, with manically delivered sarcastic vocals that give the impression of someone who is slowly losing their mind. Similarly, "Years Ago" starts relatively low key before a jagged guitar phrase and screaming vocals shake things up. Before the band turns up the madness in the end, things get hazy for an extended bridge full of gorgeous guitars that could fit in in a psychedelic or shoegaze setting.
Although Black Midi does well with unbridled aggression, there is much more to the band than that. "Speedway", the first of the two tracks which feature Picton on vocals, has a strong focus on groove that is driven by Simpson's fantastic drumming. The subtlety of "Speedyway" is surprising right after the rush of "953" and the song's hypnotizing rhythm makes it easy to reach for the repeat button. In comparison to Geep, Picton brings a much more conventional vocal approach, but his tracks are no less interesting. Even though "Near DT, MI" is shortest song of Schlagenheim, the intensity of the guitars and Picton's screams quickly make it one of the most powerful moments of the album.
Black Midi has great potential to draw in fans of previous eras of rock. Like most great modern bands, there are clear points of influence for various aspects of their sound. The late 70s and the 80s are undoubtably present, with bands like The Fall, Sonic Youth, Slint, Talking Heads and Pere Ubu all being possible points of reference. What makes Black Midi so appealing isn't complete originality, but rather how their spin on various elements of rock come together to form an interesting jigsaw puzzle of a style. If the Englishmen had to be described in one word, it would be exciting. Based on the skill and quirks throughout Schlagenheim, there is just no telling where the years could take this young band, but odds are that it will be somewhere worth visiting.
Building tension and unleashing startling moments of controlled chaos seems to be Black Midi's specialty. "Bmbmbm" features a steady beat that is occasionally visited by brief, hectic freak-outs before things get extremely heavy in the final portion of the track. Geep is at his most outlandish here, with manically delivered sarcastic vocals that give the impression of someone who is slowly losing their mind. Similarly, "Years Ago" starts relatively low key before a jagged guitar phrase and screaming vocals shake things up. Before the band turns up the madness in the end, things get hazy for an extended bridge full of gorgeous guitars that could fit in in a psychedelic or shoegaze setting.
Although Black Midi does well with unbridled aggression, there is much more to the band than that. "Speedway", the first of the two tracks which feature Picton on vocals, has a strong focus on groove that is driven by Simpson's fantastic drumming. The subtlety of "Speedyway" is surprising right after the rush of "953" and the song's hypnotizing rhythm makes it easy to reach for the repeat button. In comparison to Geep, Picton brings a much more conventional vocal approach, but his tracks are no less interesting. Even though "Near DT, MI" is shortest song of Schlagenheim, the intensity of the guitars and Picton's screams quickly make it one of the most powerful moments of the album.
Black Midi has great potential to draw in fans of previous eras of rock. Like most great modern bands, there are clear points of influence for various aspects of their sound. The late 70s and the 80s are undoubtably present, with bands like The Fall, Sonic Youth, Slint, Talking Heads and Pere Ubu all being possible points of reference. What makes Black Midi so appealing isn't complete originality, but rather how their spin on various elements of rock come together to form an interesting jigsaw puzzle of a style. If the Englishmen had to be described in one word, it would be exciting. Based on the skill and quirks throughout Schlagenheim, there is just no telling where the years could take this young band, but odds are that it will be somewhere worth visiting.
