Andee Blacksugar makes sexy music. It’s really that simple. Coming off a stint as touring guitarist for
Peter Murphy, Blacksugar follows up 2013’s “The Glamour Pantomime” with an
album that both hews darker than its predecessor while also being a bit more
accessible. All of the hallmarks of his
past decade’s work in Black Sugar Transmission are here – the mechanical bump
and grind, synths flittering around the mix, his high keening vocals, the
Vernon Reid-like guitar runs. But, like
the kinky cover art, the album is concerned less about the feel of the NYC dancefloor
and more the primal need for connection in a world that’s relationship with
technology is complicated at best. And
sometimes that means breaking out the pink rope!
While there are a couple things here that harken back to Blacksugar’s
past albums (the disco fantasia of “Hey Wildflower” being the best and most
dance-worthy example, though he does allow for a squiggly bit of guitar heroics),
he breaks new ground throughout with the Mr. Bungle-indebted “The World Is Yr
Ashtray”, the late-90’s Bowie-esque “Watch the Windows” and the sheer ferocity
of opener “Stripes”. The more extensive
use of outside musicians (particularly the use of live drums on a majority of
the tracks and Ava Farber’s transcendent vocals throughout) gives the album a
stronger and more consistent feel, as if Blacksugar is playing tug of war with
some of his collaborators over the fate of his songs. It’s beautiful, thrilling, and a nice step
forward.
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