Some explanations just defy immediate understanding and, in those moments when you hear them, you can't help but ask for them to be repeated – even if you did indeed hear them clearly. It's almost as though your mind trips over its' own feet from word one isn't it? Odds are that hearing someone explain Daniel Lanois' new project, Black Dub, will be like that for most people. Don't think so? Read the following description:
“So Daniel Lanois – you know, that guy who produced a bunch of records for U2 and Bob Dylan? He's got a new album out with a new band called Black Dub and it's pretty good in a weird way. He got Trixie Whitley to sing these beautiful, soulful lyrics and the music sounds like dub reggae as played by the best alt-rock band to survive the Nineties. It sounds old and contemporary all at once.”
It might sound a little confusing, but the above description will make perfect sense in listening to Black Dub; an album that utilizes the instrumental texture so regularly favored in the Nineties to serve the principles of dub reggae; in effect, what listeners are subjected to is a presentation of ethereal but anthemic texture served with an equal amount of soul. There is no ramp-up to get listeners acclimated to the idea either; it arrives fully-formed and ready to work from the get-go.
As “Love Lives” opens the record up, listeners will hear exactly how Black Dub will operate for its' duration: with strikingly clear drums and a rolling bass line, the song presents an organic but constant and level groundwork that feels instantly comfortable and lived in. On top of that, Whitley appears squarely in the center of the aural frame and ready to be the focal point of attention – equal parts wounded lover and soulful songstress. It's a classic design, and it's a strong one; with every listener's attention focused on Whitley, it will take listeners a minute to realize the tempest of instrumental activity swirling around her but, when they do, they'll instantly restart the album to see what they missed because there's more to this record than just the foreground. In true dub fashion, the background behind Whitley is ever-moving as Lanois' guitar and keyboards pass almost transiently from channel to channel (left to right) and Daryl Johnson's bass throws off almost subliminal sparks of comfort while drummer Brian Blade seems to almost conduct it all, battling and pushing the instruments at will. It's on the second pass through when listeners are able to connect those dots; and that's when the whole thing really begins to come into focus. It is then that listeners are able to really find the mercurial delicacy in songs like “Ring The Alarm,” “Slow Baby,” “Sing” and “Canaan,” and that's when they'll really allow themselves to be immersed in everything that's moving through the record. The exercise listeners must uphold while listening to Black Dub is one of patience and subtlety; the album is lush and beautiful, but it might take a couple of passes through to really catch it all.
Artist:
blackdub.com/
www.myspace.com/blackdubmusic
Album:
Black Dub is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
