Black Midi Album Reviews

The members of Black Midi met at the BRIT School in London, a performing art college whose other alumni include Amy Winehouse, Adele, FKA Twigs, and Imogen Heap. With access to the studio during school, they were able to get all the silly experimentation out of their system.

The four members of Black Midi are young, but nonetheless, there’s a lot of instrumental firepower. Drummer Morgan Simpson is a virtuoso, while the rest of the group are also impressive. Guitarists Geordie Greep and Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin and bassist Cameron Picton were the remainder of the lineup for Black Midi’s debut. Before recording their debut Black Midi recorded a live cassette with experimental rock legend Damo Suzuki, the former vocalist of Can.

Black Midi have enjoyed a lot of attention and mainstream success considering how avant-garde their music is. There are echoes of King Crimson, Slint, and 20th-century classical music like Steve Reich. Their vocals made their debut album Schlagenheim a difficult listen at times, but Greep’s improved singing helped Cavalcade stand as a step forward.

Black Midi Album Reviews

Schlagenheim | Cavalcade | Hellfire

Schlagenheim

2019, 8/10
There’s some post-punk edge to Black Midi, but their experimental rock is convoluted and arty, drawing on the intricacies of math rock. The roots of math-rock include the progressive rock of King Crimson and 20th-century classical composers like Steve Reich, but more specifically Black Midi recall the guitar interplay of Kentucky post-rock combo Slint. The material on this debut is largely based on improvisation.

In contrast to their instrumental prowess, the group’s vocals are less convincing on their debut – Greep’s voice is cartoonish, while Picton’s voice is plainspoken and low key. It’s hard to know what vocals would work ‘well with this convoluted music, but the reason to listen to Schlagenheim is for the sophisticated instrumental interplay and headbanging riffs, and not the singing. ‘953’ explodes out of the gate with its heavy guitar riff and complex time signatures, while the tense and repetitive riffing of ‘Bmbmbm’ suddenly explodes into chaos. The intricate guitars of ‘Western’ recall the interplay of Robert Fripp and Adrian Belew on King Crimson’s Discipline.

Black Midi are barely old enough to vote, but there’s already impressive virtuosity and head-banging riffs on Schlagenheim.

Cavalcade

2021, 8.5/10
London’s black midi are back with their second album of progressive post-punk. With their instrumental virtuosity, they’re often like a cross between the progressive rock of King Crimson and the spiralling guitars of the post-punk band Slint. They now have plenty of competition in their niche – this year’s also seen acclaimed albums from Squid and Black Country New Road – but black midi have also taken a step forward with their second record. Thankfully, they’ve fixed the most difficult aspect of debut album Schlagenheim – frontman Geordie Greep has toned down the abrasive vocals to an unsettling croon.

black midi have undergone lineup changes – second guitarist Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin was involved in writing, but has taken a break from the band. They’re instead augmented by keyboards and saxophone on Cavalcade, which pushes their sound closer to King Crimson than Slint. Often it’s the guitar work that’s most arresting – there are lovely arpeggios on ‘Diamond Stuff’, while the opening guitar of ‘Slow’ sounds like King Crimson. ‘John L’ is a thrilling opener with its saxophone riffing and aggressive guitar, while the brooding ‘Marlene Dietrich’ is a great contrast. The closer ‘Ascending Forth’ is suitably epic.

There’s a lot happening on Cavalcade – it takes a while to digest, but it’s consistently interesting.

Hellfire

2022, 8/10
Experimental London band Black Midi have been prolific in their brief career so far. Presumably, there’s more to come, since Hellfire was written during the COVID-19 pandemic when the group was unable to record or tour – the band were back in the studio weeks after releasing 2021’s Cavalcade.

Black Midi have developed markedly over their brief tenure. On 2019’s improvisation-based debut Schlagenheim, their vocals felt like an afterthought, low in the mix. The group’s vocal prowess has increased markedly, and the vocals are often the focal point on Hellfire – frontman Georgie Greep sings in an unsettling croon, like a less accomplished Scott Walker.

The music is layered and intense, although, unlike their previous record, there aren’t as many instrumental freakouts – a lot of the band’s usual cacophony happens within the constraint of conventional songs. There’s more calmness than before – the pedal steel of ‘Still’ gives it a country flavour, while ’27 Questions’ is like odd cabaret. The quickfire riffing of ‘Sugar-Tzu’ and ‘The Race is About To Begin’ are much more in line with the expected Black Midi sound.

At this point in their career, Black Midi are endlessly fascinating – still in their early twenties, anything seems possible.

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