Search - Bluebird :: Black Presence

Wow, what a trip

Andrew D. Dixon Jr. | Jacksonville, Florida United States | 05/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Completely different for this hardcore band that usually cranks out tunes more akin to Foo Fighters rather than a psycadelic ride to realms so estranged. The music on Black Presence feels exactly like its title: Mercurial but some of the most esoteric alternative tunes to come along in years. Thick guitars and pounding bass provide an album that's chock full of feedback, distortion and reverb. This album takes Bluebird to few places its been before or since. The use of the vibraphone is scattered throughout the list of songs and the title track is about a 10 minute romp in an adrenaline-fueled blast furnace. Many of the tracks on Black Presence gained notariety in the 2003 cult surf film SingleFin Yellow. If you liked that at all, there's even more deliverance on the entire album. Trippy at times and acutely reminiscent of some of the more meandering ventures of Pink Floyd, Bluebird's Black Presence is one of the greatest albums to listen to while on a long journey or just enjoying a bottle of wine at home. Bluebird's best work, although a radical departure from their fan staples such as Hot Blood or The Two. Look for more Black Presence-esque riffs on the upcoming Stylemasters album set to be released in June 2006. While I haven't heard that album solely, I have heard it as the score to yet another hot film within the surf community, Stylemasters. It's a historical account of the transitional period of shortboarding in Hawaii's powerful surf influence during the 1970s. The music scored by Bluebird is similar to Black Presence, but oh, it's so much more of the great drive and exceptional and unique use of the vibraphone again. I can't wait to get it. Bluebird has crawled way up on my favorite band list not only because of their more crunchy punk sounds on their more familiar albums, but specifically because of their adventurous and completely original efforts on Black Presence and Stylemasters."