Black International

I first came across Black International on Twitter, where a group of like-minded bands/promoters/music writers (see: Alright The Captain, Trojan Horse, Rumour Cubes, Echoes and Dust, GoldFlakePaint and Colonics, amongst others) seem to be carving out a particular niche for themselves by virtue of friendly banter, fan engagement and - crucially - bloody good music. So yes, you may call this nepotism, or you could just say that I'm in that very lucky position where if I hear an album I like, I actually get to write about it and stick it on the internet for people to read. Personally, I prefer the latter. And I really do like this album.

The first thing that hits you about In Debt is the incredibly militaristic drumming that opens the first track, which really gets inside your head and makes you listen, because you're not entirely sure where it's going to go from there. When it resolves into what - on a first listen - sounds like relatively upbeat guitar-led indie, you might be a little bit disappointed. But stick with it, because I can guarantee you won't be for long. It's true that this style of music isn't brand-spanking new or totally different to anything that's gone before. And yes, it's the sort of music that every band thinks they can make, so from time to time it is done incredibly badly. However, that doesn't mean it's incapable of being done well, and it doesn't mean that when it's done well it's incapable of sounding good, and you should be very, very wary of falling into either of those traps when listening to this album.

Because there is a definite hook here. I am at a slight loss to tell you exactly what it is, as I'm only halfway through the first track right now, but it's there, and it draws you in, making you start tapping your foot and nodding your head along to the music. Whatever this is, or isn't, in terms of genre, innovation and the like, one thing is for sure - it's very well done. The guitar duet in 'Destruct_o_' capitalises on some very unexpected rhythms, leaving you totally at a loss to predict where the track will go next, and 'Dread (Excerpt)' is really very good indeed.

More often than not, this type of music - however upbeat it sounds on the surface - tells a bitter tale of unrequited love and messy break-ups, and that's where Black International really excel, by not falling into that trap. With lyrics such as "Monday morning, start of another week, property pages and the smell of antifreeze" and "This week's an emotional invalid ... I'm going out to have some fun", you can't help but enjoy their tales of relatively mundane, everyday experiences, made interesting by the use of unexpected metaphors. Stewart Allan is singing about things that everyone can relate to, independently of whether or not they've just had their heart broken, which makes this album relatively unique in terms of standing out from the crowd.

It's when 'Interval' comes on, though, that you really start to realise that these guys are something quite special; a one-minute..well..interval of metallic-sounding electronica that seems to come from nowhere compared to what has gone before, but which segues perfectly into the build up for 'The City Is Dead', which captured my heart on a purely personal level by starting in 3/4 - a time signature woefully under-used outside of classical music. After breaking down in the middle, the beat returns in 4/4, but this is so subtlety done that you wouldn't even notice it unless it was something you were specifically listening out for - a very welcome break from a lot of the math-rock bands out there at the moment who seem to feel that every time change should be brought to your attention by being utterly jarring in their suddenness.

Similarly, 'You Can Trust Me' rolls along quite nicely in what I think is 6/8, but what really makes this song is the way they emphasise different beats of the bar, making the time signature almost impossible to follow. You suddenly find that the song is moving much faster than you thoughts, and is inexorably dragging you along with it, until, unexpectedly, the song is over, and with it, so is the album. Not the most climactic end to an album I've ever heard, but definitely something that leaves you wanting more.

In short, if you like this type of music anyway, you'll love this album, and if you don't, you should give it a listen anyway - you'll more than likely be pleasantly surprised. - The 405

You know those nights when you've got nothing planned and you're perfectly content to sit around in your PJs watching crap TV, eating pizza and contemplating your navel and then, out of the blue, one of your mates texts and asks if you want to go to a gig with a bunch of bands you've never heard of playing at a tiny venue you've never been to before and you go ‘Yeah, why not?’, having no expectations beyond being out of the house and interacting with other human beings for a while, but you all end up having one of the best nights out you've had in ages? I had one of those a few months ago and (setting aside the alcohol) the thing that got me and my mates most excited, and made that night one of the best we'd had in a while was discovering Black International.

Live, they're joyous - I lost count of the number of times I looked round at my friends and we were all just beaming, blown away by how much we were genuinely loving it. Pretty rare for a bunch of ageing, jaded hacks (Oi, speak for yourself! – Ed.). Special mention has to go to drummer, Craig Peebles; verging on jazz – precise and animated, moving at a speed that shouldn't be possible. If you give a shit about rhythm I defy you to watch that band and not be mesmerised by him.

‘Stop crapping on about them live and get on with the album review, woman’. Right, fine then. But I'm starting with Peebles. Because so does the album. Right from the very first bar of opener, ‘A Million Mouths’ there he is - bashing out a cadence to the beat of which first Stewart Allan's guitar and then Gavin Hargin's bass crash into your life and proceed to cram delicious slices of post-punk down your craw again and again.

Am I allowed to say it reminds me at times of China Drum? I am, because I loved China Drum, and you are free to challenge me to an arm wrestle if you disagree. But you will lose.

I'm pretty sure I remember ‘Word Virus’ from them playing live, though it may just be because the repeated, accusatory refrains ‘I sent you flowers’ and ‘I've got this word virus and you're just making it worse’ are so impossibly catchy they've earwormed me from the very first listen.

Another stand-out track is ‘The City is Dead’, which starts slow-ish, in a minor key and ramps up into an almost rockabilly number that it's impossible to sit still to. So I didn't – and writing this review was delayed by me needing to play it three times in a row, prancing around my flat like a tit. I will be playing this out next time I DJ. I could go on and on pointing out other tracks on the album you should listen to but…um…y'know – you should just listen to them.

Phrases like ‘muscular post-punk’ often get bandied about when people are talking about Shellac, and they belong to bands like Black International who, even during the slightly slower, more laid-back points like ‘Dread (Excerpt)’ or the glorious harmonised break in ‘Destruct_o_’, never lose their visceral energy or give the impression they're trying to pander to anyone else's agenda. They don't need to pretend to be mean and moody or delicate and aloof. They're just playing their music, and that's that. You can gallop along with them, or you can sit in a corner being miserable and stroking your chin. Choice is yours. I know which way I'm going.

So, to surmise: fucking great. Get the album, see them live, follow their progress, don't let 'em go. - Echoes and Dust