Record Review Friday

I wanted to take a moment for reflection, and to appreciate the music being released during the pandemic, an incredible feat on its own, and what better way to do that, than on Fridays? (fun fact: records used to be released on Tuesdays.)

This week's Record Review Friday, is dedicated to an album that was released in two parts, a Side A and a Side B (a nod to the vinyl record), by electronic duo that goes by the name Blaqk Audio. 

Blaqk Audio, founded by Jade Puget & Davey Havok  in 2006, are known for their dark, lush lyricism, paired with driving melodic beats and pulsing synth. 

Image Credit: Blaqk Audio

Beneath the Black Palms, with Side A being released on July 28th, and Side B on August 21st of 2020, is a record that holds a completely different sound than Blaqk Audio's previous works. While it does carry similar electronic synth and a familiar sound only really akin to the work of this duo, there are elements within this record that feel unfamiliar and unique. 

There's an impressive use of vocal distortion and staggering harmonies on tracks such as "1948" and "Hiss", but there are also songs that feel like new territory for Blaqk Audio, with a surprisingly light and hopeful track like "Fish Bite", paired with the commanding powerhouse of "Bird Sister".

Each track tells a story, and as an artist and an English major, I always feel compelled to analyze and try to understand any media I consume to the best of my ability, even if it is only my interpretation. This is the beauty of music I feel: it's all open to interpretation. 

I recently did a series of artworks based on each track of this record, which I will attach the pieces below as I dive into each track. I implore you to sit down, grab a comforting mug of tea (or whatever you choose to imbibe in), and immerse yourself in the world of Beneath the Black Palms.

Track 1: Consort

@kvictoriart

"Consort", the opener to the record, begins with a chase. It gives the feeling of seeking out a potential conquest in a nightclub, moving through the sea of people after the one person you want. Vocalist Davey Havok's haunting Tenor range guides you through the song, wrought with trepidation and fear of saying the wrong thing to said conquest. Thus leads the song to the driven chorus and the repeating lines:

Lest I insult, let me consult

That man on my shoulder

Lest I insult, let me confide

In the devil at my side.

The lyrics give the song a somber, yet inquisitive tone, as it goes through the narrator's inner battle within themselves, while the instrumental track fills the empty spaces with industrial melody.

Track 2: Zipper Don't Work

@kvictoriart

This track is lighter than it's predecessor, and rich with sexually charged imagery. The narrator's dilemma seems solely focused on getting someone, be it a significant other or just a one-off fling, to look at them. The track is 2 parts annoyance and irritation on the narrator's part, couple with their desire for intimacy and touch, poignantly repeated in the bridge:

Where is your mind?

Focus, focus on me.

Roses are a common theme within the chorus, a clear symbol of romance and desire, be it as animalistic as it may, and overall, the song carries the plain message of indescribable want. 

Track 3: 1948

@kvictoriart

"1948", notably the slowest paced song on Side A of this record, has elements of longing, with an added touch of bitterness. It should be noted that gold is a common theme on this track, and 1,948°F is the melting point of gold. 

I’ll crack drawing your tongue

I'll perish, garish a golden tooth

Melted down for you.

Aside from the stunning harmonies, the part of the song that stands out to me the most, is the lovely piano outro, courtesy of instrumentalist Jade Puget. It wraps up the track succinctly. 

Track 4: A Distant Light

@kvictoriart 

This track draws the listener away slowly from the melancholy tone of "1948", bringing back the dancing beats and synth. What the song lacks in melancholy, however, it replaces with nostalgia. Setting the scene of a wintry night, you can feel the ache of searching for something lost, something found, and of a fear yet to be revealed.

Here between the snowflakes falling, a distant light

Here between, it dies in your eyes

I found it, found the night

I died in your eyes.

Track 5: Hiss

@kvictoriart

This track is most comparable to its predecessor, "Zipper Don't Work". Where the narrator previously mentioned longing and want, this song is more aggressive and has a sinister edge to it. There is also the added personification of demonic possession, as the narrator has now gained the characteristics of the devil mentioned previously in "Consort".

Unlock my horns, head to head

Untie my tail from the bed

Break your teeth up into flesh

Soft as gold and hold my breath.

The gold motif does not go unnoticed, as it seems to be a symbol of fragility, of something tender being ruined and quite literally, melting away at times. 

(This track marks the conclusion of Side A.)

Track 6: Burnt Babies Fear the Fire

@kvictoriart

"Burnt Babies Fear the Fire", a track with a punchy and unique title, kicks of the beginning of Side B. 

Havok's soft crooning fills the space after the intro, and it is evident the narrator is directing their gaze to someone who does not hold the narrator in the same, tender regard. 

When I scream for you, you're never listening

When I dance with you, you never look

When I dream awake and scream that I love you

When I do, I get a dirty look.

It becomes clear by the end of the track that the "burnt babies" are a metaphor for scorned lovers who have been hurt before, and therefore hold a more cautious stance towards other love interests, leaving them to quietly observe their essence from afar. 

Track 7: Fish Bite

@kvictoriart

One of the outliers on the record, "Fish Bite" is filled with rich imagery and storytelling, which Blaqk Audio are no strangers to, but the upbeat energy of the track is surprising. It is a stark contrast, essentially, because it can be interpreted as an ode to the LGBTQ+ community. The song has a soothing atmosphere to it, between Puget's gentle chiming beats and Havok's soft encouraging to "come out" in the chorus.

Come out, come out, come out, come out farther

Come out, come out, the water is clear

Come out, come out, come out

Don't you pay no mind to mama

We're swimmin' here

Here, where at night the fish may bite

But they never hurt me

No, not in my sea.

It is a track that touches upon struggles queer people faces with their families and society, but it makes a point not to make the entire song about queer suffering. It does quite the opposite, creating a comforting track for those who understand. 

Track 8: Bird Sister

@kvictoriart

"Bird Sister" thrusts the listener back into the seedy underbelly of this record. Filled with rich, religious imagery, it is both a declaration and a refusal: a refusal to subscribe to any organized religion that doesn't fit the narrator's seemingly pagan beliefs. 

Every god that I've found

Every god makes the same strange sound

Every god that I've found

Every god makes her way back down

Makes her way back down

Making the same strange sound

Makes her way back down

Making the same strange sound.

The female deity referenced within the song is powerful and celestial, making her the focal point of the track as something to be both admired and feared. 

Track 9: I'm Coming Over

@kvictoriart

This song gives off a very 80's ballad feel, which isn't dissimilar to the previous tracks, but the stark references to fire and water are. It gives the energy of a person who depends on someone, albeit a bit too much at times for the other person, and the narrator seems to always be on the other side of the door, begging for entrance. 

I'm comin' over

I, I'm comin' over

Okay, I promise I won't speak of love

I'm comin' over, yeah I'm comin' over

I promise you I won't leave my blood

I need shelter so draw the water

I need shelter, I know you're alone

So draw the water, I need shelter

And although you wander

You know you're my only home.

The somber tone of the track feels like the narrator is struggling to change, but is falling back into old habits, something I feel we can all relate to.

Track 10: Tired Eyes

@kvictoriart

"Tired Eyes" feels like the sister to "Consort", framing a similar narrative of describing an unmentioned character. The dance-y beat gives the feeling of liberty within a song that feels so much like imprisonment. The juxtaposition of these two elements makes the narrator's internal conflict that much more palpable. 

Wrongly imprisoned light

We will set free

Imprisoned in your eyes

There, you will hold me

My long-desired light

We will set free

Imprisoned in your eyes

There, you will hold me

By the end of the track, following a bass driven bridge, it feels more like an escape is underfoot, which makes the punchy chorus that much more satisfying to hear. 

Track 11: It's Not Going Well

@kvictoriart

A parallel to "1948", this steady paced track, the record's finale, is tinged with a tenderness that bleeds into every note Havok croons in a higher register. I personally relate this song to the pandemic and our current situation, likely due to the themes of isolation and longing in the song.

It's going, going

Though not going well

You said he turns you on

Though he can't tell

It's going, going

Though not going well

You wrote "talk dirty"

But he can't spell

Havok's startling acapella before the final chorus is filled with a fragile emotion that feels too personal to be listened upon, which gives the listener the sense that they're intruding in on a private moment.

@kvictoriart

 The final notes of the last track leave the record in an open-ended manner, but this by no means, implies that the listener leaves this record feeling unfulfilled. This record is filled with themes that will take a few listens to catch them all, but as a whole, it is beautifully complex. I thoroughly enjoy this record, and personally, it has been the highlight of this dreadful year. 

I hope for a time when I can hear these tracks in a live setting, to experience them in a different way with friends and loved ones, but for now, I will resign to playing it at home. I hope you enjoyed this review, and please, feel free to let me know what you think of this segment, and what I should work on to improve in the future!

To quote Davey Havok of Blaqk Audio,

"May you enjoy your time beneath the palms."