It Covers the Hillsides - June 2007

GREAT NEW MUSIC: Black Before Red "Belgrave to Kings Circle

So color me impressed. I was sent "Belgrave to Kings Circle", the debut album from Black Before Red today and told, "prepared to be impressed". But I still wasn't quite as prepared as I needed to be. Now I'm in the best mood ever, and I was really trying to cultivate some deep-seeded anger today but now that's all shot to shit. Between well-crafted melodies & amazing harmonies lies some really, really happy laid-back pop. In the best sense of the term. I don't want to diminish their music with comparisons because they really have found their own sound, but I can't help hearing little bits of Okkervil River, The Sea and Cake and even Stephen Malkmus & The Shins. And that little Okkervil River I hear might be because some of those guys play on the album, as well as members of Zykos & The Lemurs. If you're content to wallow in a depresssion, then leave this album alone, but if being "happy, happy, joy, joy" is where it's at for you then download those MP3s below. You can also pre-order the album from their Myspace page for $10, which comes out August 14th.

Minneapolis F***ing Rocks

Black Before Red - Belgrave to Kings Circle

Grade: A-

Sometimes, no matter how much you love your favorite records, you need something completely new. And not just a new record from a band whose name you kind of recognize, but totally and utterly new to you. That's why Belgrave to Kings Circle by Austin band Black Before Red is such a great surprise.

Belgrave is their debut record, and it's really, really fun. It starts off with a little piece of abstract noise on "Underneath Gold," which quickly gives way to snappy drums, some muted horns, and a punchy bassline. Then the band's harmonized voices come in, and you know you're in for something great. The record's promotional materials stress the band's similarities to the Shins, which isn't inaccurate, but ultimately does Black Before Red a disservice. This band is all about original details, whether it's the marching band snare that sneaks into the right channel on the driving "Matagorda" or the chiming piano touches on album highlight "Goddess In Trauma." On top of these details are songs that most bands would envy, boasting melodies you might expect from Of Montreal or (yes, yes) the Shins.

When songs don't entirely work, it's simply because they don't make an impression. "Bossa Nova #7," despite a shuffling tempo that provides a brief respite from straight-ahead pop rhythms, lacks a strong melody to keep the song afloat. The next track, "Finding Peace In The City," suffers from the same problem, adding too much heft to the record's middle.

Which is why the next song, "Teenage America," comes at exactly the right time. It's the seventh track, and it features a simple 1-4-5 chord progression, "ba ba ba" backup vocals, and sweet harmonies. It's exactly what you need after a couple of downer tracks, and it's really just a hell of a song.

Black Before Red is clearly a band to keep an eye on. Debuts like this don't come around very often.

(David Brusie)

Herohill

Reviews:: Black Before Red Belgrave to Kings Circle

Black Before Red has some pretty big shoes to fill. Their influences and sound really relies on two styles that have very critical fans. They freely jump into the Sea & Cake bass heavy/harmonious silky jams, but they balance those tracks with a heavy dose of West Coast 60’s pop (I shy away from saying the Shins because I don’t really hear it a lot of the band in their songs). Pleasing either one of those audiences is a challenge, let alone both.

Surprisingly, the debut release – Belgrave to Kings Circle – holds up quite well. The record opens with Underneath Gold and you can’t help but think about Prewitt and Prekop. The snap of the drums and vocal delivery (harmonies) are bang on, and the free moving bass line pushes the track along nicely. It sets the tone for the record, which is summery and fun – especially when the horns take over during the last 50 seconds. It’s the type of song that you throw on as you drive out of the city and find yourself absent-mindedly drumming along on the steering wheel.

Despite how successful this track is, the band (wisely) doesn’t plant itself in that singular vibe. The record changes pace immediately and Matagorda is a light, plunky piano track that uses a marching band snare and accordion and they continue to try out new sounds for the rest of the record. Our Last Summer is a bit more chaotic, using static and feedback to dirty up the shimmering their pop style, but Goddess in Trauma is the song that really shows how well the band can play both sets of influences. The track takes on a Sea and Cake sound in the verses, but on the chorus and bridge, they throw in perfect pop guitars, some ohhhs and hand claps to add a new twist.

The record flows well, as Bosa Nova #7 and Finding Peace in the City won’t turn you off from listening (especially the intense hand clap/harmonica section of Bosa Nova #7), even if they aren't as inspired as other numbers. It’s these songs, that by all means are still very pleasant to the ears, that really showcases the potential the band has. When they come back with Teenage America, you are instantly paying attention. Halliberlin Petroleum is infectious and their recipe of harmonies, jangled guitar and bouncing bass line whets any music lover’s appetite.

For a debut record, Black Before Red delivers enough good songs to convince any doubter and it’s a record that is getting better with each and every listen.

Austin Sound
Black Before Red - Belgrave to Kings Circle

Since its inception in 2005, I Eat Records has generously released albums from the likes of the Casting Couch, the Orange Mothers and the Glass Family. Each effort has seen a rise in quality, so it’s not entirely surprising that Black Before Red's debut, Belgrave To King's Circle, is a notch above the rest.

Though, when looked upon closer it’s not as if the quartet had a choice to not do what they did, which is make an interesting pop album during a time when pop bands are a dime a dozen. There’s a chance that it was accomplished by the fact that the band has been in the Austin scene long enough to warrant the help of other locals like Okkervil River (who actually have a former member of BBR), the Lemurs and Zykos, but it was probably due to how the lineup consists of nothing but multi-instrumentalists. Their penchant for energetically taking moments from all genres of pop results in such a huge array of what can be expected from song to song that it makes you anxious to hear where they will venture next.

In the infectious opener, "Underneath Gold," the quartet quickly turn on the charm with different streaks of 70s pop mixed with acoustic and electronic elements that are generally heard from many indie pop bands of today. It may seem like a combination that has been done before, which is true, but most don’t ride the line between being retro and modern as well as these guys do; to them each sound is just another piece of the pop world they live in. The Beatles-esque "Matagorda" that follows shows this as well. The simple drumming, the gentle working of the piano and the acoustic strumming, the perfectly smooth harmonies; all of it screams retro. Yet, even with each throwback moment there is one that comes out full of twang or something else that isn’t to be expected.

Of course, all of this is not to say that the disc is void of any songs that your anti-retro friends might like. "Teenage America" has an all around fuzzy warmth reminiscent of artists like Frightened Rabbit and Illinois. Other standouts like "Goddess In Trauma," "Bossa Nova #7" and "Spilt Milk Mistake" take the subtle approach to their sound and tone-down the retro vibe in favor of pretty arrangements that allow you to focus on the lyrics. After all, no one should be distracted to the point where they miss out somber stories like the one which can be found in the album’s closer, "Waiting For The Bang."

Overall, there are only a few moments that tease your finger to hit the skip button, but even when they come up you dare not act on them because of how the band might suddenly change gears. In other words, Belgrave To King’s Circle is a versatile pop machine that entertains at every corner.

- John Laird

Absolute Punk
Black Before Red - Belgrave to Kings Circle
by Russ Hockenbury

Who:
Austin vagabond musicians who are friends with other Austin vagabond musicians in more popular bands like Okkervil River and The Lemurs.

How is it?:
Everything out of Austin in the past few years has had an underlying gloom to it and Belgrave to Kings Circle is certainly no exception. From the weary opening ballad of “Waiting for the Bang” to the laid back (but still decidedly gloomy) knee-patter “Spilt Milk Mistake” they work within the town’s infamous framework, occasionally borrowing from the west coast pop of decades earlier. It’s still an overwhelmingly Austin sound that Black Before Red possesses though. Which not surprisingly means this disc is very, very good.

Multi-instrumentalists love to play with themselves: “Spilt Milk Mistake”, “Teenage America”

I want to SX you up: Okkervil River, Sea & Cake, The Morning Benders

Indie Surfer
Black Before Red

Black Before Red throws the traditional four-piece line-up a curve. Multi-instrumentalists all, they seamlessly incorporate acoustic, electric and electronic elements and seem to draw on the whole of the history of rock and pop while offering up something entirely new. Enlisting the help of friends from Okkervil River, The Lemurs and Zykos for an even fuller symphonic sound, Belgrave to Kings Circle offers a rich fabric of challenging arrangements captured in a recording that speaks of obsessive perfectionism of the best kind. Despite our love of these elements, we barely noticed them at first, too busy dancing around the living room and trying to sing along before we even knew the words.

In their hometown of Austin, Black Before Red is something of a “bandʼs band.” Their shows look a little like a local musiciansʼ convention, and have at times become de facto I Eat Records meetings. Although this is their debut album, the band can hardly be called “freshman.” They are one of those groups that seems to have been around forever, undergoing multiple lineup changes as members came and went--to join Okkervil in one case--before finally coalescing into an ideal mix and settling in to make their ideal debut album. Recommended!

Three Imaginary Girls
Things to listen to today...Like Black Before Red

There's been a batch of music from the new bin that's been keeping me happy the last few days. Surprises came in from Phineas And The Lonely Leaves {somewhere on the East Coast}, Psychic Emperor {Seattle, WA}, and Simon Moore {Melbourne, AU}. Today I'm especially loving Austin, TX's Black Before Red.

From their webpage or myspace page you can hear four of their songs from the album Belgrave to Kings Circle. "Goddess of Trauma" is slight and nicely harmonic with and underscoring hook. "Matagorda" is my favorite since it most resembles an indie rock showtune, which is what I'm craving most today. Overall there's that roadtrip California feel that wisps to and fro with piano and melodic guitar chords.

If you're in Austin, you should go to their record release show on Thursday at The Parish. I bet all kinds of neat and fun folks will be there since they brought in their friends from Okkervil River, The Lemurs and Zykos to play on the record (hence the fuller symphonic sound).

Music For Robots
With the strength of a horse in an electric storm

Hooray for pop music! This is the time of year when listening to big fat downer songs seems a little ... unseasonal. In June and July I tend to need a little pick-me-up in the morning, something fast, short, and sweet for the bus ride downtown. Just when I was searching for something to use for this purpose, along comes Black Before Red, with their sugar-sweet melodies and perfect harmonies.

Though it's on the peppy side, there's a tinge of melancholy to this song, which definitely helps it go down easier. I like power pop as much as the next guy, but too many handclaps and 1-4-5 chord progressions and I start to go loopy. This song has such nice production, with little touches that give it a little texture, and it's poppy without forcing you into a good mood. You just get there.