Tie It In
Small Black wade in the Hip-Hop water on new Moon Killer mixtape
June 30, 2012 12:30 PM
What if you took your favorite rap beat into the sauna with a bottle of red wine?
The result would feel a lot like Small Black’s slow, saturated dream-pop. In the seemingly infinite sludge of synth bands in existence, Small Black stand apart as both talented indie rockers and innovative beat makers.
Taking a listen to the Brooklyn group’s music is a bit like riding a tall wave. And for good reason – Small Black’s soothing yet danceable electronic tunes began as singer Josh’s DIY project in a Long Island beach house. Since then, it has evolved into a full-fledged four-man ensemble.
Their self-titled EP and debut full-length, New Chain, feel like love letters to the 80’s, an era defined by gaudy, cheeseball music. However, rather than lightly referencing the paint-splatter decade, Small Black embrace all the sounds that Tears For Fears and Depeche Mode used, and bring them in a new direction. But two things in particular set their music apart from their parents’ record collection: Josh’s sensitive bedroom vocals, and the grandeur of tasteful, calculated songwriting. Their gliding, lo-fi grooves are textural and atmospheric, not balladic. An aesthetic that is unabashedly nostalgic can also be guilt-free.
2010’s self-produced Moon Killer mixtape brings their penchant for the 80’s synth face-to-face with sprinklings of modern hip-hop samples. These repurposed cut-ups get folded into their signature caramelized dance beats. Nicki Minaj lyrics swim through hazy synths to intoxicating effect on “Love’s Not Enough”, and Das Racist rapper Heems steps in and out of the entire mixtape. The two remixes that appear on the record simply play with the already complex instrumentals of their tracks “Photojournalist” and “New Chain”.
Moments like these distinguish Small Black from the rapidly metastasizing scene of dream-pop, no-wave, and whatever hyphenated gimmick subgenre that might apply. There are kids with keyboards, and then there are well-versed musicians, interested in versatility and growth. And though the band have ridiculed the “chill-wave” label, their music retains an undeniable, well, chillness.
Moonkiller is available for listen via www.small-black.com, and their new album is anticipated for relase in 2013 via JAGJAGUWAR.
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