MrBrobeck

If this is hell... lord send me now.
I didn't expect this album to be as beautiful as it was, given the tag "brutal prog". But dang Black Midi hit me with something different... Storytelling immaculate, jazz influences immaculate, sir Greep immaculate... I'm starting to like the UK. I have high hopes for their future works.

This band has produced by far my favorite instrumental tracks. Although they work primarily with guitars, this is not a handicap in any way. They're able to achieve so many different sounds with different emotions, whether it's the raw djent, jazzy licks, or melancholy instrumental sections. I think all of these songs deserve at least a 90. Everything just had a uniform sound while allowing for a lot of experimentation within the tracks themselves. My favorite part was probably the soft section ... read more

The first time listening to this album it felt like I was high. The opening track just smacked me with a sound so unexpected but so utterly amazing that I had physical reactions. Even some other great art rock or experimental albums never made me feel this way. I got through the first listen without understanding what was actually happening, just absorbing Omar's crazy guitar riffs, Cedric's vocals, and the overall beautiful dissonance and complexity of it all. I decided to look into the story, ... read more

This may be the most emotionally engaging album I’ve listened to. I’ve cried multiple times listening to this album. There is so much variety in the sound, from the sporadic jazz of “The National Anthem” to the beautiful instrumentation of “Motion Picture Soundtrack”. I still can’t fully grasp the message of each song, but that’s alright: I love the poetic encoding of their messages. There is a universal feeling of loss, depression, and confusion ... read more