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REVIEW – In my last review, I was talking about the impact of Pretty Hate Machine in 1989. Was the world ready for it? Did the world at that time really know how to take something so bleak and disturbing? You can add Black Tape for a Blue Girl in this discussion. In the 80’s, the music landscape was so wide. Bands like Leather Nun and Jesus and the Mary Chain was the college radio buzz. Other bands like REM, U2 and Simple Minds would get out of the college radio scene and go mainstream. Black Tape for a Blue Girl was that band that haunted you. It was the middle of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Sonic Youth. It was a band that you knew when you heard a song, that song would stick with you. Sam Rosenthal was the constant. Not sure if constant would be the proper term, maybe visionary. This is a band that has always stuck to its guns. No matter what trend or flavor popped up, they just produced this powerful yet haunting journey that each cd would send you on. 12 cds and close to 35 years, the band still just feels so unique and fresh. To Touch the Milky Way is art rock in the most orgasmic sense. Danielle Herrera has such a gothic sexuality to her performance. Does Anything Remain (part 3 and 4) is such a haunting piece. I am not sure if they were aiming for operetic, but the sound they have on this song is so epic. Each word the woman says feels so epic and dream like. The same can be said about The Stars as well.
The music has so many layers that it feels like much more than a bunch of songs that were compiled for a release. This feels like a band that was taking a journey and wanted all of us to come along. Much like the Dead Can Dance cd last month, this cd feels like it was always here and we just did not know. This cd gives me such a sense of belonging and personalized joy. It awakes the music fan in me to appreciate a band that puts all their hearts and souls on the table and dares the listener to do the same. The lyrics come across with such an importance that it is easy to see why this band never fails their fanbase and most critics. Michael Plaster also delivers on the vocals as well. He is constantly being complemented by Sam and the rest of the band. His vocals do harken back to the 80’s dimension of this band. He has such a delivery that reminds you of where this band has been and where it is still at. In a world of bubble gum pop and bands that are here today and gone today, this is a band that just makes such an impactful statement.
This cd is engaging, inviting, patient, melancholy and emotionally seductive. To say , this is the best album of the year is not fair. The year is not up. This album is the reason I hate the digital age. I have to own this cd. If you are a fan of the band, that last statement is for you also. This is not a music file on a phone or a fucking stolen link. This is artwork, this is a band giving their passion and a passion I will play many times before I go to bed tonight. I love this cd so much, this band has yet to fail me. I know most critics use words to make them look smart and frown upon showing fandom. I am not them thank god. I have no words to make me look smart but I have a passion for great bands. This is a great band.
