Blank Banshee 1 is the second studio album by Canadian musician and producer Blank Banshee. It was released as a free digital download via Bandcamp on October 20, 2013.
| Blank Banshee 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 October 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012–2013, Victoria, Canada[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 31:03 | |||
| Label | Hologram Bay | |||
| Producer | Patrick Driscoll[2] | |||
| Blank Banshee chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background and composition
editProduction for Blank Banshee 1 began in late 2012[3][4] with tracks such as ‘Eco Zones’ appearing as early as February 2013.[5][6] The album was announced officially through social media on September 22, 2013.[7] The music video for "Infinite Login" was released preceding the album on October 19, 2013.[8]
Blank Banshee 1 consists of 15 tracks, largely instrumental in nature. It was produced using an Akai APC40[9] and features heavy use of 808 drums and micro-samples sourced from video games, and early 2000s computer software. Themes of consumerist detachment and alienation appear throughout the album. Song titles such as “Infinite Login”, “Anxiety Online!” and “Cyber Slums” assert a juxtaposition of modern technology, angst and desolation.[10] The album has been called Vaportrap and ‘Post-Internet’.[3] It manifests a "future sound that can be ‘cold’ and digital-and even carry connotations of luxury and the virtual world".[11][12]
Blank Banshee 1 was produced in Victoria, Canada.[9]
The album artwork was designed by Blank Banshee and depicts a series of colored cubes in a triangular formation over a monochromatic gradient.
Blank Banshee 1 has been released on Cassette Tape, Compact Disc, Vinyl and USB Flash Drive independently through the online store Hologram Bay.
Paradise Disc
editParadise Disc is a series of 6 computer-animated videos produced by Banshee, serving as the official music videos for Blank Banshee 1.[6]
The series was released via YouTube between October 19, 2013 and January 1, 2014.[4]
Reception
editThe Fader called Blank Banshee 1 "a masterwork of the new digital psychedelia"[3] and a "definitive document of the Vaporwave era".[13]
Track listing
editAdapted from official liner notes.[14]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "B:/ Infinite Login" | 1:00 |
| 2. | "Eco Zones" | 2:24 |
| 3. | "Metamaterial" | 1:54 |
| 4. | "Anxiety Online !" | 2:02 |
| 5. | "Java Clouds/مجسمه سازی مهتاب" | 2:12 |
| 6. | "LSD Polyphony" | 1:38 |
| 7. | "Conflict Minerals" | 2:36 |
| 8. | "Metal Rain" | 2:12 |
| 9. | "Big Gulp" | 2:12 |
| 10. | "Doldrum Corp." | 1:22 |
| 11. | "Cyber Slums" | 2:02 |
| 12. | "Realization" | 1:41 |
| 13. | "Solar Plexus" | 2:30 |
| 14. | "Paradise Disc" | 3:09 |
| 15. | "B:/ Hidden/Reality" | 1:53 |
Notes
- "Eco Zones" and "Cyberslums" feature vocals by Cormorant.
References
edit- ^ "Blank Banshee 1 Information". Blank Banshee - Official Website. Oct 20, 2017. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ "ECMAs 2011 - Get to Know The Artists". Noisography. April 21, 2011.
- ^ a b c "System Focus: The Evolution of the Voice in the Digital Landscape". The Fader.
- ^ a b "Blank Banshee - Paradise Disc". Blank Banshee - Official Website. Oct 18, 2017. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ "Eco Zones - Blank Banshee Live (Seattle Feb 21st 2013)". YouTube. Jan 27, 2015.
- ^ a b "Vaporwave: subversive dream music for the post-Internet age". bandwagon. May 18, 2016.
- ^ "Blank Banshee 1". Facebook. Sep 22, 2013.
- ^ "Infinite Login". YouTube. Oct 19, 2013.
- ^ a b "Blank Banshee 1 Information". Blank Banshee - Official Website. Oct 20, 2013. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
- ^ "Music of the Spectacle: Alienation, Irony and the Politics of Vaporwave". Bandcamp. Aug 23, 2016. Archived from the original on October 31, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
- ^ "Pattern Recognition Vol. 9: Cold Forecast". Electronic Beats. Jan 9, 2014.
- ^ "After a Three-Year Hiatus, Blank Banshee Breaks His Silence". Bandcamp daily. Oct 17, 2016.
- ^ "Blank Banshee Returns With New Album MEGA". The Fader. Oct 10, 2016.
- ^ "BB1-Information". Archived from the original on 2018-03-07. Retrieved 2018-03-07.