Black Light Spiral is the debut album from Jack Dunning, aka Untold, released on his own label Hemlock records.
| Black Light Spiral | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | February 2014 |
| Label | Hemlock Records |
Composition
editBlack Light Spiral is an unconventional record compositionally focused more on harsh horror atmospheres than consistent dance rhythms, summarized Larry Fitzmaurice: "the rhythms are wrapped in spikes, the melodies are built out of transistor-radio noise and abused vocal samples, and the empty space surrounding everything possesses a seasick unsteadiness."[1] Crack Magazine described the entire LP as "one amorphous blur of mescaline loops and decayed rhythms, held together by the restless ghost of the UK's illustrious rave past."[1]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Crack Magazine | 18/20[2] |
| Fact | 4/5[3] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[1] |
| Resident Advisor | 4/5[4] |
| Spin | 9/10[5] |
| XLR8R | 8/10[6] |
Crack Magazine praised Black Light Spiral for continuing Untold's "alchemic ability to distill storied influences into something that sounds like nothing you've ever heard before is still unparalleled."[2] On the other hand, Fitzmaurice, while appreciating it as "a beguiling artistic statement of an album in a genre where finding success in the LP format isn't always a given," felt its abstractness may turn off fans of previous Untold material that had more "directly engaging qualities."[1] Resident Advisor reviewer Andrew Ryce concluded that "the best aspect of the album is also the worst: it's alienating in way that might actually alienate you, and keep you from revisiting."[4]
Track listing
edit- 5 Wheels
- Drop It On the One
- Sing a Love Song
- Doubles
- Wet Wool
- Strange Dreams
- Hobthrust
- Ion
References
edit- ^ a b c d Fitzmaurice, Larry (20 February 2014). "Untold: Black Light Spiral". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Albums". Crack Magazine. 6 March 2014. p. 55. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
- ^ Finlayson, Angus (20 February 2014). "Black Light Spiral". Fact. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ a b Ryce, Andrew (7 March 2014). "Untold – Black Light Spiral". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
- ^ Sherburne, Philip (14 February 2014). "Untold's Deathly Drops, Optimo's Spacey Blues, and 10 More New Dance LP's in Control Voltage". Spin. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ Jackson, Glenn (25 February 2014). "Black Light Spiral". XLR8R. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
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