Music Reviews

The Black Sea

The Black Sea

Lovitt

Three songs aren’t much to judge an artist by, but by the sound of this, we’ll soon enough hear more from this remarkable three-piece. Not that this prediction should surprise most, what with the members’ past and current band history – two of them used to be in the unjustly neglected Frodus, while Joe Lally is a founding member of the seminal Fugazi and plays with them to this day.

Coming across like a slightly heavier, more guitar-oriented Joy Division, The Black Sea offer a unique take on swirling, dark 1980s post-punk, performed with subdued passion and solid craftsmanship. The opening “Ghost Lanterns” is a great track, a frenetic and possessed slab of intriguing goth punk. “Wingless Fire” is a whispered, haunted song, while “Landscapes” is something completely different, a far poppier track, showcasing the band’s scope, its willingness to move beyond expectations, and its ability to retain personality and uniqueness beyond mere genre limitations. A convincing first effort, then, and their upcoming full-length album, due this summer, is highly anticipated.

Lovitt Records: http://www.lovitt.com


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