Black Dice - Miles Of Smiles

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 11 / 4 / 2004

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Review

Tension builds as Black Dice enforce sounds from an increasingly unlikely set of devices and instruments rather than play music from keyboards or from a guitar. Ethnic new wave this may well be, 'Miles of Smiles' was originally recorded by Nicole Vernhes for the 'Poetry of Sex' exhibition in Tokyo 2002. Vocally harmonic layers, while in fact still human, roll off sounding like the buzzing from crickets, the snoring from unspecified animals and the recorded sounds of ingredients being twisted and turned in a jar. They interact in a hypnotic rhythmic pattern. In its turn this rhythmic pattern is reminiscent of a xylophone-like keyboard instrument. 'Miles of Smiles' stands out through its entire length and to me sounds as if a visual artist after some creative moments has left home and gone to the market feeling hungry. It's the everyday sounds, 'found recording' as it's called, that will draw your attention. Two lengthy wanderings on a CD single is not always a prototype for pop culture, though perhaps as a recommendation you ought to know that Laurie Anderson's 'Oh, Superman' has had an influence on 'Miles of Smiles'. Owning both records wouldn't be harmful. The second track 'Trip Dude Delay' builds up and exhibits extremes. Innocent echoey superman vocals get trashed by Merzbowy thunder and percussion avalanches plus near atomic destruction sounds. File under Crooklyn Dub. It has become a genre. Declared official.

Track Listing:-

1 Miles of Smiles
2 Trip Dude Delay

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/Black-Dice-59
http://blackdice.net/
https://twitter.com/echobro

Label Links:-

http://www.dfarecords.com/
http://store.dfarecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dfarecords
https://twitter.com/dfarecords
http://dfa-records.tumblr.com/
http://dfarecords.bandcamp.com/

Have a Listen:-