Black Metal (Dean Blunt album)

Black Metal
Studio album by Dean Blunt
Released November 2014 (2014-11)
Genre Art pop[1]
Length 53:31
Label Rough Trade
Producer Dean Blunt
Dean Blunt chronology
Skin Fade
(2014)Skin Fade2014		 Black Metal
(2014)		 Babyfather
(2015)Babyfather2015
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[3]
Clash8/10[4]
DIY[5]
Exclaim!8/10[6]
Fact[7]
The Guardian[8]
NME9/10[9]
The Observer[10]
Pitchfork Media7.3/10[1]
Popmatters[11]
Resident Advisor[12]

Black Metal is an album by Dean Blunt, released on Rough Trade Records in November 2014.[12] The album features vocals from Blunt and frequent collaborator Joanne Robertson.[13]

Musically, Black Metal features more traditional pop song structures than Blunt's previous work, but is diverse in instrumentation and genre. The album includes elements of indie pop, folk pop, Americana, dub, ambient, grime, drone,[1] and dancehall.[10] Critics have also noted the prose of Blunt's lyrics as being similar to contemporary hip hop lyrics, which often reflect that of dark subjects like cheating and alcoholism.[3]

Blunt has stated that the album was inspired by what he sees as black artistic liberation away from the appropriation of 'existing/old white images' (a la names like Black Elvis, Black Cobain) toward 'something that is undefined and is new'.[13][14][15]

Critical reception

Black Metal currently has a score of 79 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Critics praised Blunt's emotional range and directness on the album.[12][13] In a review for The Observer, Killian Fox wrote that Blunt had created "some of the most achingly beautiful music recorded this year."[10] Writing for Pitchfork, Colin Joyce called the album "disjointed" but praised the album for its sound and for Blunt's clearer, more pop-oriented style compared to his previous work.[1] However, Allmusic's Andy Kellman criticized the album for being "quantity-over-quality" and for what Kellman saw as a derivative sound.[3] Michael Hann characterized the album in The Guardian as a needlessly difficult listen that was sometimes repetitive, but nonetheless praised it as "extraordinary."[8]

Accolades

Black Metal placed first on Tiny Mix Tapes' and Crack Magazine's lists of best albums from 2014.[16][17]

Track listing

All tracks written by Dean Blunt.

No.TitleLength
1."LUSH"1:58
2."50 CENT"2:35
3."BLOW"2:31
4."100"3:20
5."HEAVY"1:58
6."MOLLY & AQUAFINA"4:06
7."FOREVER"13:00
8."X"8:54
9."PUNK"2:34
10."COUNTRY"2:10
11."HUSH"2:07
12."MERSH"2:09
13."GRADE"2:51

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Joyce, Colin (November 17, 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Black Metal – Dean Blunt". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Kellman, Andy. "Black Metal – Dean Blunt". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ Hillyard, Kim (November 5, 2014). "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". Clash. Music Republic Ltd. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ Milton, Jamie (November 6, 2014). "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". DIY. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  6. ↑ Slingerland, Calum (November 4, 2014). "Dean Blunt Black Metal". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ Hall, Josh (November 3, 2014). "Dean Blunt Black Metal". Fact. The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  8. 1 2 Hann, Michael (October 30, 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal review – extraordinary, in a baffling way". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ Nesbitt, Huw (November 1, 2014). "Dean Blunt – 'Black Metal'". NME. Inspire. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Fox, Killian (November 1, 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal review – a work of strange dichotomies". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  11. ↑ Paul, John (November 7, 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Popmatters. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 Ryce, Andrew. "Black Metal – Dean Blunt". Resident Advisor. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 Eede, Christian. "Black Metal – Dean Blunt". The Quietus. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  14. ↑ Chandler, Simon. "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  15. ↑ "Dean Blunt FM : Black Metal Thesis".
  16. ↑ "2014: Favorite 50 Music Releases of 2014". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  17. ↑ "The ultimate, definitive Best Albums Of 2014". Anydecentmusic.com. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
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