Whether I finish this post tonight, or not, here’s one for International Women’s Day – Black Moth Condemned To Hope. This 2014 LP has it all, heaviness, rudeness, some excellent playing, all manner of exciting genre melting and playful lyrics. Oh and the female singer is one of those chick women girl things, that I read about once.
Condemned To Hope reeled me in with its great Roger Dean cover art, which I mistook for wearily trudging WW1 soldiers but if you look a little more closely you can see they’re actually toting swords and spears. As always with the wonderful Mr Dean, who also devised the band’s logo, it is a wonderful piece of art in its own right that looks particularly great over the whole gatefold sleeve. Now add in the fact that the white and black swirly vinyl edition I have was limited to 500 copies and the fact that it was produced by Jim Sclavunos of the Bad Seeds and you’ll see that I was just roadkill here, it just rolled right over the top of me and onto my shelves.
All of which would just be sad if the content weren’t up to snuff, but it certainly is. Black Moth have a really interesting sound about them, yup there are definitely stoner and doom elements in there, but there’s all manner of other interesting bits and pieces in the mix too. Take opener ‘Tumbleweave’ which borrows a trick or two from Soundgarden at their best, the better to tell its story of venal coupling and anti-romance. The production is rather fabulous, clear and warm with Harriet Bevan’s vocals very much up front.
‘The Undead King of Rock’n’Roll’ is a great title and probably their most stoner effort on Condemned To Hope, I love the way the music drops away for the verses which brings the lyrics into sharp relief and they don’t let us down (‘phantom septum haunts my dreams’ is a line I love unreservedly). ‘The Last Maze’ is the heaviest track here, damn good it is too on this form Black Moth could swing with the likes of (my faves) Alabama Thunderpussy and/or Goatsnake, great use of feedback too.
But it isn’t all a big Sabbath fantasia, Black Moth hit the speed for the likes of ‘White Lies, Silver Tongues’ sounding like a really pissed off Veruca Salt, or a weaponized Elastica and I love the menacing garage rock of ‘Stinkhorn’ – definitely the best ever song about the phallic qualities of mushrooms that I have ever heard!*. The spare, psychobilly of ‘Slumber With the Worm’ is a real treat too, it’s like Iomni jamming with the Stray Cats played at the wrong speed, plus any song which uses the word ‘discarnate’ deserves a separate mention in despatches, particularly when it incorporates a freeform freak-out in the middle. It all ends with the title track, which sounds like Monster Magnet surveying the remains of a world they have destroyed through their own debauches before shrugging their shoulders and moving on to the next.
So overall Black Moth really impressed me with Condemned To Hope, it is full of personality, there are some great ideas and execution right here, topped off with some swaggering playing and a really fine rock vocalist, who happens to be a chick woman – in fact her gender’s the least relevant thing about her performance here. This LP rocks.
640 Down.
PS: There’s more. Like the closet fetishist I assuredly am I have furtively concealed my favourite and, totally coincidentally, the rudest bit of rock from you. Third track in we get ‘Looner’, which until tonight I had no idea was the terminology for someone who gains sexual satisfaction from balloons – their feel, their popping, their bounciness … I’m a broad-minded sort of chap, but it’s not one that floats my boat, but this track does. ‘Looner’ has the whole quiet/loud dynamic I love AND a video chock full of more fetishes than I care to enumerate here – Please be warned ladies and gentlemen that the attached video not only shows balloons and a lady acting as a table, but also a guitarist playing a blistering solo astride a windswept computer generated planetscape … oh and bare lady breasties. Consider yourself warned.
*the line ‘nature’s little hard-ons, pale dwellers of the forest floor’ has given me much joy this evening. Sorry, I never really got beyond 14 years-old. eeeeeeet
**For UK readers – the ‘NHS’ referred to here is not the National Health Service^ but the record company New Heavy Sounds.
^For US readers – this is a liberal, pinko, commie idea where sick people can go to hospital and get treatment, even if they can’t afford it.
Crikey. I’m now following your blog, sir. Legomen + Vinyl = Euphoria.
By the way, as it seems to be hot topic in this comment section, I can say as a brit that our dear NHS is in dire condition… *weeps*
Thank you Freddo, nice to have you on board.
I like to think this is the #1 site on the Internet for records, Lego and universal healthcare discussion!
Universal Healthcare, ftw!
I am certainly not a looner. I hate latex balloons…their feel, smell and sound.
Love the chick lego. Looks badass!
Me thinks the lady protesteth too much! Looner!
The chick Lego is a modified dinosaur hunter – that’s how damn badass she is!
I just listened to this and there is something about a rocking’ woman
Totally. God bless ’em all, rocking or otherwise!
This sounds like something I must check out. On another note, as an American living in the UK, I can say for sure that the NHS, works. I’ve had numerous on line debates with ultra-conservative US types who try to tell me it doesn’t.
I think you’d like this one, they play a lot too.
I love the fact we have a NHS here, it’s a sign of civilisation in my book!
Definitely
Sold! This sounds pretty brilliant. Pretty much what JH said actually – pretty much everything about this one sounds great. Gatefold!
I took a photo of the gatefold that was so awful I couldn’t use it! #Skillz.
I also didn’t mention that the sleeve of this LP is so thick that you could just stick a stamp on it and post it as it is without using a mailer, with no risk of it getting damaged.
That’s a key selling point; can’t believe you didn’t mention that.
The Earth sleeve is like that, too. Heavy duty stuff.
Brilliant, unless you ever have to move house.
This one sounds like it could be pretty great. Love the sleeve art, vinyl color, and pretty much everything about this record.
Damn you.
It really is an excellent modern rock LP, funny too – which I always really like.
You’re a dedicated follower of modern rock.
Which takes me to some great places and some not so great. This is damn good though.
Ever since you suggested this for the Roger Dean cover special at Vinyl Con a while back, I’ve been hoping for a review. Doesn’t disappoint. Except for the ‘I think he protesteth too much’ stuff about ignorance of the female of the species. Let me count… The Mum you drove through rain and sleet to honour recently, the daughter who does striking artwork for one of your fave artists, the partner who needs no more commendation than managing to live with 1537… Fess up dude, you love the glory of womanhood unreservedly.
Okay, okay I dig chicks! Damnit!
Thanks Bruce you’re just missing Jane Austen, Kate Bush and Alison Bechdel off your list for me.
This is a damn fine LP, I feel a bit guilty that I haven’t given it maybe the time it deserves over the last 2 years.
… and it is a glorious cover. I had no idea he was still working.
Agreed. I actually added it into the post.
https://vinylconnection.com.au/2015/06/02/10-ripping-roger-dean-album-covers/
These guys sound wicked. Even my Mennonite friend above would agree.
Mennonites really dig Black Moth – I think that was one of their T-shirts!
Was the practice of looning new to you?
I kknow they dig black cloth, but Black Moth.
That may explain the loud noises I keep hearing as I pass their buggies.
In Canada looning actually involves a loon.
Please do not ask anymore of this.
You know a suspicious amount about an activity that I had never heard of until yesterday. Hmmm.
Your face!
Sorry I’ve had a long day and a bad back, that’s all I got for comments today 🙁
One day I was out for a drive when I crested a hill and saw the sky was filled with hot air balloons. All was fine until a raft of loons flew in from the east.
The next thing I remember was waking up dressed head to toe in leather……
Wait. I told you not to speak anymore of this.