A vast space of land overpopulated with indie headstones is getting very overcrowded. The Muses and Radioheads of the world soldier on and achieve continued success yet many others fall by the wayside. Why? Because they lack the longevity, originality and creative force that the aforementioned bands are born with. The Black String Theory display similarities to these rock dinosaurs and a glimmer of potential that deserves your attention.
The Black String Theory are only in the infancy of their career, having formed merely two years ago in 2009. They are made up of the dynamic duo Scott Van Dort and Mann Baldanza. Scott, a master of many instruments and Mann, a sticksman and guitarist, have together produced music that has had critics singing their praises.
A self titled EP which was mixed by Chris Testa, a grammy award winning engineer who has the likes of Jimmy Eat World on his CV, has built anticipation for their forthcoming debut album which they began recording in March. Until then, the first taster of the record is ‘This Clouded View‘. Please allow us to present a view which is not so clouded. Please also forgive us for that unavoidable pun.
A band once sang of the irony achieved when everything is going so wrong yet we’re still so happy. Sound impossible? Well, its not. That band was The Wombats and this was a nod toward their heroes Joy Division and a tribute to their knack of injecting doom and gloom into a recording, yet somehow still producing something that is immensely uplifing. Love will tear us apart? Well, apparently it will also have us dancing like lunatics on a dancefloor. This is a rare quality found in a band but it is certainly one that The Black String Theory can associate themselves with. ‘This Clouded View’ might exude melancholic tones of sadness and despair yet its chorus which takes off like a rocket is empowering, uplifting and heart-wrenching.
‘This Clouded View’ is led by layers of synths which make up the backbone of this emotionally driven track that steams ahead at full throttle. It’s easy enough to lay down synths on a song to aid an attempt at achieving a certain mood however, with nothing to back it up with, your feeble attempt at finding a shortcut to creating something of substance will be exposed as hollow and cheap. Coldplay‘s third album, ‘X & Y‘, despite having its moments, was clearly over reliant on synths to pierce the veins that lead to the heart.
The Black String Theory use synths on this track to good effect, not sacrificing the other vital elements in its production. Instead of overusing them they add another layer to the sound which is already rich and grandoise. The song takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions which is completely devoid of predictability. It’s bipolar in its character, as you are pulled in different directions that range from euphoric highs to dysphoric lows.
Any appreciator of music will immediately draw comparisons with Muse when hearing the track. Singer Scott Van Dort possesses a haunting yet angelic delicacy in his voice and a range that seems to have no limits, something which shares much in common with Matt Bellamy. Van Dort’s vocal gymnastics take the song to another level and are complimentary of the epic sound. Slick production is what makes this recipe of successful ingredients formulate into something extremely rewarding, as well as dynamic and innovative drumming that seem to offer something new to the ear every time you listen to the track.
The piano led breakdown at 2mins 50seconds pulls on the heart strings with the brunt akin to a tug of war. If you like your sensitive side of alternative music backed up with some muscle then this fulfills the criteria on all accounts. Play loud. Very loud. Just keep a stash of tissues handy.
(Matt Humphrey)
