Black Metal (Dean Blunt album)

Last updated

Black Metal
Black Metal (2014 Dean Blunt album) cover.jpg
Studio album by
Dean Blunt
Released3 November 2014 (2014-11-03)
Genre Art pop [1]
Length52:31
Label Rough Trade
Producer Dean Blunt
Dean Blunt chronology
The Redeemer
(2013)		Black Metal
(2014)		 Black Metal 2
(2021)

Black Metal is an album by British musician Dean Blunt, released by Rough Trade Records on 3 November 2014. [2] The album features vocals from Blunt and frequent collaborator Joanne Robertson. [3] Musically, Black Metal features more traditional pop song structures than Blunt's previous work, but is diverse in instrumentation and genre. The album includes elements of indie pop, folk pop, Americana, dub, ambient, grime, drone, [1] and dancehall. [4] Critics have also noted the prose of Blunt's lyrics as being similar to contemporary hip hop lyrics, which often reflect that of dark subjects like infidelity and alcoholism. [5]

Contents

Blunt has stated that the album was inspired by what he sees as black artistic liberation away from the appropriation of 'existing/old white images' (a la names like Black Elvis, Black Cobain) toward 'something that is undefined and is new'. [3] [6] [7] The lead-out grooves of each side of the vinyl version feature the first four letters of the Supreme Alphabet of the Nation of Gods and Earths.

In June 2021, Blunt released a sequel album, Black Metal 2 . [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.5/10 [9]
Metacritic 79/100 [10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Fact 4.5/5 [11]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
NME 9/10 [14]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Pitchfork 7.3/10 [1]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Resident Advisor 4.5/5 [2]
Uncut 8/10 [16]

Black Metal currently has a score of 79 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10] Critics praised Blunt's emotional range and directness on the album. [2] [3] In a review for The Observer , Killian Fox wrote that Blunt had created "some of the most achingly beautiful music recorded this year." [4] Writing for Pitchfork , Colin Joyce called the album "disjointed" but praised the album for its sound and for Blunt's clearer, more pop-oriented style compared to his previous work. [1] However, AllMusic's Andy Kellman criticised the album for being "quantity-over-quality" and for what Kellman saw as a derivative sound. [5] Michael Hann characterised the album in The Guardian as a needlessly difficult listen that was sometimes repetitive, but nonetheless praised it as "extraordinary." [12]

Accolades

Black Metal placed first on Tiny Mix Tapes ' and Crack Magazine 's lists of best albums from 2014. [17] [18] The latter also named it the best album of the 2010s. [19] [20]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Dean Blunt, except where noted. All tracks are produced by Blunt

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Lush"
1:58
2."50 Cent" 2:35
3."Blow" 2:31
4."100"
3:20
5."Heavy" 1:58
6."Molly & Aquafina" 4:06
7."Forever" 13:00
8."X" 8:54
9."Punk" 2:34
10."Country" 2:10
11."Hush" 1:16
12."Mersh" 3:25
13."Grade" 4:45

Notes

Sample credits

Related Research Articles

<i>Madvillainy</i> 2004 studio album by Madvillain

Madvillainy is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, consisting of British-American rapper MF Doom and American record producer Madlib. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records.

<i>Purple Haze</i> (album) 2004 studio album by Camron

Purple Haze is the fourth studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron. The album was released on December 7, 2004, by Diplomat Records, Roc-A-Fella Records and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The release of this album was delayed several times from November 2003, the first single "Get Em Girls" was released a year prior to the actual album release. The album debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 with 123,000 copies sold in its first week. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

<i>S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D.</i> 2002 studio album by Out Hud

S.T.R.E.E.T. D.A.D. is the debut album by American electronic dance rock band Out Hud.

<i>Aesthethica</i> 2011 studio album by Liturgy

Aesthethica is the second studio album by Brooklyn-based black metal band Liturgy. Produced by Krallice guitarist Colin Marston, the album was released on May 10, 2011 via Thrill Jockey.

"Hell of a Life" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The song was produced by West, Mike Caren, Ernest Wilson and Mike Dean. The song features a number of samples and contains backing vocals by Teyana Taylor, signed to West's G.O.O.D. Music label. The song features a production style with influence from rock and heavy metal music, and is notably bombastic and aggressive in nature. The song expresses a narrative about West marrying a pornographic film actress and the traumatic events that follow. It employs highly sexual, nightmarish imagery, and was inspired by West's relationship with model Amber Rose among other real-life events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You (Ha Ha Ha)</span> 2013 single by Charli XCX

"You (Ha Ha Ha)" is a song by British singer Charli XCX taken from her major label debut studio album, True Romance (2013). It was released as the album's 4th single in February 2013, along with several remixes. A music video for the song was released on YouTube on 10 January 2013.

<i>Fetch</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Melt-Banana

Fetch is the eighth album by the Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana. It was released on October 1, 2013, on CD, LP and digitally.

<i>Endless</i> (Frank Ocean album) 2016 visual album by Frank Ocean

Endless is a visual album by American singer Frank Ocean. It was released on August 19, 2016, as an exclusive streaming-only video on Apple Music, and preceded the August 20 release of Ocean's second studio album Blonde. Endless was later remastered and had a limited reissue in physical audio and visual formats on April 10, 2018.

<i>Apocalypse, Girl</i> 2015 studio album by Jenny Hval

Apocalypse, Girl is the fifth studio album by Norwegian musician Jenny Hval, released on June 9, 2015 through Sacred Bones and Su Tissue Records.

Roy Chukwuemeka Nnawuchi, better known by his pseudonym Dean Blunt, is a British singer-songwriter, musician, producer and contemporary artist. He is best known for his current solo work as well as his previous work as part of avant-garde duo Hype Williams, and more recently, the hip hop group Babyfather. Blunt was also the founder of London rock band Graffiti Island. He has been described as "a prolific, category-rejecting artist" and "an art-pop provocateur."

<i>You, Whom I Have Always Hated</i> 2015 studio album by the Body and Thou

You, Whom I Have Always Hated is a collaborative album by American sludge metal bands the Body and Thou. Released on January 27, 2015 through Thrill Jockey record label, the album was included on the reissue of bands' first collaborative effort, Released from Love EP (2014).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wreck and Reference</span> American experimental rock band

Wreck and Reference is an experimental rock group based in Los Angeles, California. They compose their sound experimenting with vocal styles over electronic instrumentation using samples, synthesizers and acoustics. The group has been associated with San Francisco-based record label The Flenser.

<i>Playboi Carti</i> (mixtape) 2017 mixtape by Playboi Carti

Playboi Carti is the debut commercial mixtape by American rapper and singer Playboi Carti. It was released through AWGE and Interscope Records on April 14, 2017. Production was primarily handled by Pi'erre Bourne alongside several other record producers, including Harry Fraud, Hit-Boy, Jake One, and Southside. It features guest appearances from American rappers Lil Uzi Vert, ASAP Rocky, and Dutch singer Leven Kali. The physical version of the mixtape was released on October 6, 2017, and a vinyl edition was released on November 17, 2017.

Klein is a singer-songwriter and producer from South London, England. She released the EP Tommy on UK label Hyperdub in 2017 and has received praise for her albums Lifetime (2019) and Frozen (2020) on her record label ijn inc.

<i>Oil of Every Pearls Un-Insides</i> 2018 studio album by Sophie

Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides is the only studio album by Scottish recording artist and producer Sophie. It was released on 15 June 2018, through Transgressive, Future Classic and Sophie's own label, MSMSMSM. The title may be a mondegreen of the phrase "I love every person's insides". It was met with widespread acclaim by critics and received a nomination for the Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. A remix album, Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides Non-Stop Remix Album, was released in July 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunn O))) discography</span> Band discography

The discography of Sunn O))), an American drone metal band, consists of nine studio albums, three collaborative albums, six EPs, four demos, one remix album, eight official live albums, one box set compilation, two stand-alone singles and three compilation contributions.

<i>Serpent Music</i> 2016 studio album by Yves Tumor

Serpent Music is the second studio album by American experimental musician and record producer Yves Tumor. It was released on September 23, 2016 on PAN record label.

<i>The Redeemer</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Dean Blunt

The Redeemer is a studio album by British musician Dean Blunt, released in 2013 on Hippos in Tanks.

<i>Black Is Beautiful</i> (Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland album) 2012 studio album by Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland

Black Is Beautiful is a studio album by Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland of the electronic duo Hype Williams, released in 2012 on Hyperdub.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lolina</span> Estonian electronic musician and singer

Alina Astrova, better known by the recording aliases Lolina and Inga Copeland, is an Estonian experimental musician and singer living in London. In addition to her solo work, she collaborated with British musician Dean Blunt on various releases, including several albums as the duo Hype Williams from 2009 to 2012.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Joyce, Colin (17 November 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Pitchfork . Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Ryce, Andrew (3 November 2014). "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". Resident Advisor . Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Eede, Christian (10 November 2014). "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". The Quietus . Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Fox, Killian (1 November 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal review – a work of strange dichotomies". The Observer . Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 Kellman, Andy. "Black Metal – Dean Blunt". AllMusic . Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Chandler, Simon. "Dean Blunt – Black Metal". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Dean Blunt FM : Black Metal Thesis".
  8. ↑ "Dean Blunt Releasing New Album BLACK METAL 2 This Week". Pitchfork . 8 June 2021.
  9. ↑ "Black Metal by Dean Blunt reviews". AnyDecentMusic? . Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  10. 1 2 "Reviews for Black Metal by Dean Blunt". Metacritic . Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  11. ↑ Hall, Josh (3 November 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Fact . Archived from the original on 28 May 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  12. 1 2 Hann, Michael (30 October 2014). "Dean Blunt: Black Metal review – extraordinary, in a baffling way". The Guardian . Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  13. ↑ "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Mojo (253): 93. December 2014.
  14. ↑ Nesbitt, Huw (1 November 2014). "Dean Blunt – 'Black Metal'". NME . Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
  15. ↑ "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Q (341): 107. December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Dean Blunt: Black Metal". Uncut (211): 72. December 2014.
  17. ↑ "2014: Favorite 50 Music Releases of 2014". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "The ultimate, definitive Best Albums Of 2014". Anydecentmusic.com. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "The top 100 albums of the decade".
  20. ↑ "The top 100 albums of the decade". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.