Creature Comforts (album)

Creature Comforts
Studio album by Black Dice
Released	June 22, 2004
Recorded	2001 & 2003
Genre	Electronica experimental musique concrète noise rock [1]
Length	43:46
Label	DFA
Black Dice chronology
Beaches & Canyons (2002) Creature Comforts (2004) Broken Ear Record (2005)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	71/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Pitchfork Media	(8.0/10) [4]
Rolling Stone	[5]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[6]

Creature Comforts is the second album by American experimental noise band Black Dice. It was released in June 2004 by DFA Records (USA) and Fat Cat Records (UK). ^{[7] [8]}

The album, according to Kory Grow of CMJ New Music Monthly , is "Black Dice's musique concrète take on animal noises, including replicated elephant sounds, duck calls and even sparrow chirps". ^[1]

Background

The album was preceded by the Miles of Smiles EP in March of the same year. ^{[9] [10]} Most tracks were recorded at the Water Music, Rare Book Room and DFA's Plantain studios in New York City. "Live Loop" is a live-recording from the 2001 Summer Tour 2001. ^[7] Both James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy assisted with the recording while Steve Revitte mixed the album. ^[7] Creature Comforts is Black Dice's last album to feature longtime drummer Hisham Bharoocha. ^[11] The song "Skeleton" was described as the centerpiece of the album. ^[4]

Critical reception

Dominique Leone of Pitchfork declared that the band had "delivered one of this year's most interesting records and proved that you don't have to be noisy to make beautiful noise". ^[4] Tiny Mix Tapes found the songs "well thought out and pleasant to listen to". ^[6] In contrast, The Village Voice called the album "directionless [and] confused about what precisely their aesthetic is". ^[12] Dusted Magazine noticed the variety of ideas but saw it as a positive, describing the album as a "very textural work, one that shifts in and out of its various ideas with the freedom of musique concrete". ^[13]

Track listing

1. "Cloud Pleaser" – 1:43
2. "Treetops" – 6:23
3. "Island" – 1:13
4. "Creature" – 8:54
5. "Live Loop" – 1:28
6. "Skeleton" – 15:25
7. "Schwip Schwap" – 2:01
8. "Night Flight" – 6:35

Personnel

Bjorn Copeland - guitars

Eric Copeland - vocals

Aaron Warren - bass

Hisham Bharoocha - drums

James Murphy - engineer

Tim Goldsworthy - engineer

Steve Revitte - engineer/mixer

References

1. Grow, Kory (2003). "Best New Music". CMJ New Music Monthly (123–124): 44. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
2. "Reviews for Creature Comforts by Black Dice - Metacritic". Metacritic.
3. Creature Comforts at AllMusic
4. Leone, Dominique (June 20, 2004). "Black Dice: Creature Comforts". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
5. "Black Dice - Create Comforts". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 15, 2008.
6. Leveer, (editor) (2004). "Music Review: Black Dice - Creature Comforts". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2016-04-06.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
7. "Black Dice - Creature Comforts". Discogs. 5 July 2004. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
8. "Black Dice - Creature Comforts (UK)". Discogs. 5 July 2004. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
9. "Black Dice - Miles Of Smiles". Discogs. 30 March 2004. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
10. "Black Dice - Three Imaginary Girls". Three Imaginary Girls. 7 August 2004. Retrieved 2016-04-06.
11. "Creature Comforts LP/CD". Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
12. Ellison, Tim (June 28, 2004). "The Village Voice: Music: Space Between Their Ears". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 2004-07-03.
13. "Dusted Reviews: Black Dice - Creature Comforts". www.dustedmagazine.com. Retrieved 2016-04-06.