Search - Stranglers :: Men in Black

Dark and metric

Jim Shine | Dublin, Ireland | 07/03/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What, one may be tempted to inquire, were the Stranglers on when they wrote this? Answer: cocaine, if we're to believe the authorised biography. The band were also probably nuts at the time. No, seriously. "The Gospel According to The Meninblack" is a concept album in which we are told of our ancestors, aliens who created us and gave us religion. This is Erich von Daniken territory here. Completely round the twist. And... erm... it's actually my favourite Stranglers album.Why? Well, if you think "concept album" you probably think of day-long prog-rock efforts with flute solos and tubular bells and kitchen sinks, but "The Meninblack" comes in under 45 minutes, and only one track strays above 5. There's also the quality of the production; this is typical Stranglers but with an extra layer of (there's no other word for it but) strangeness. And finally, even though they were apparently sincere, there's often a hint or two of irony throughout the lyrics and music. The whole album is actually a lot of fun, and it turns out the Stranglers know how to tell a story well. Even if the story is nonsense."Waltzinblack" has earned a place in the pantheon of quirky-sounding instrumentals to be rolled out when an ad needs a silly waltz tune, but don't let that put you off. It's unbearably (but endearingly) catchy and gets odder and odder as the Meninblack themselves appear, squeaking and cackling. Nutters, the lot of them. Bizarrely, "Just Like Nothing On Earth" never even made the charts, despite Hugh Cornwell's deadpan rapping and the silliness of the alien chorus. Remember, this was the era of "The Birdie Song". It should have been number one for a month. Overture and tales of alien abduction out of the way, we settle into the story proper: "Second Coming" and "Waiting For The Meninblack" bring us the minds of those anticipating the return of... whoever. Jesus, aliens, sons of magic women, makes no odds. In "Second Coming", Hugh treats us to some speculations on the messiah: "he may be ugly and have problem hair". See what I mean about irony - most of what's going on here seems utterly tongue in cheek. The music, too, seems to have a flippancy about it, although always to the fore is the vision of a band seemingly on top creative form. "Turn The Centuries, Turn" is a doom-laden instrumental dragging us back to the beginning of the story; it ends as it began, but the music is now running backward. Side Two, as it was called in the old days, begins with "Two Sunspots", which is apparently about breasts but always makes me think of cells dividing, which is more apt really. We are now in the past, as it were. "Four Horsemen" tells us how the Meninblack became mistaken for gods, angels, or other heavenly beings. In "Thrown Away", JJ Burnel's deepest growl plays the voice of one of them who broods over lost chances and looks ahead to the Meninblack's departure. If you can accept the subject matter, it's actually quite a sad song. The tune has rightly been likened to a nursery rhyme; again, you'd think that would spell chart success. In sonic terms, "Manna Machine" is undoubtedly the album's highlight. The song depicts a device that churned out the manna that kept the Israelites alive in the desert ("can you still make cookies in your caboose?" Hugh wonders); here, the band itself seems to have meshed into a machine, all artificial chirps and blurps and mysterious guitar plucks, without a single note wasted. Finally, "Hallow To Our Men": the Meninblack fly off home to a largely instrumental piece heavy with nostalgia; the lyrics are a fairly clever reworking of the Lord's Prayer. The main tune is the sort of thing Wagner might have written if he was a member of Kraftwerk; there are a couple of bars here and there that remind me of Frank Zappa's "Inca Roads", but that's surely a coincidence? Or is it? [sinister chords sound]. As the music fades, the Meninblack's ship powers up and zooms off into space... and we're left with just us. Note the structure here: the album concludes in the past, with the void left by the Meninblack, reminding us of those people who, earlier in the album, were sitting, watching, waiting, hoping for their return. "The Meninblack" is ultimately about spiritual emptiness and the need to fill it. And it has nothing whatsoever to do with Will Smith."

A classic pop record

Davdi Sutom | San Francisco, CA USA | 06/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Recently I've been playing this for people, and the reactions are almost always the same... "what IS this?", "is this new?", "this is brilliant!"... Yes, it is brilliant but it isn't new. In fact it was recorded over 20 years ago. This is one very enjoyable, demented and accomplished record, full of bleeping, twisted melodies, atmospheric passages, rumbling and distorted bass, and some of the poppiest songs ever."

Nice idea, but....

Billy Campbell | 10/13/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Sorry, I side with those critics who thought this was a poor album. The idea, concepts and themes are fine, but musically this record doesn't have the range of it's predecessor "The Raven". I'm all for musical experimentation, but this just doesn't do it for me. However, it is interesting for the use of studio effects and techniques, but that's the best I can say."