I've been intending to talk about black midi's debut record, Schlagenheim, since last year. However, it's the kind of record that I have to be in a very specific mood for, as it is a very loud, erratic and abrasive album. When I am in the right mood for it, I have a really enjoyable time - but that isn't all that often. Schlagenheim mixes hypnotic math rock grooves with post-hardcore and noise rock instrumentation so loud and abrasive it feels like your ears are about explode; alongside experimental song structures with multiple passages and a positively deranged vocal delivery from frontman Geordie Greep.
The first thing which greets you in the opening track, 953, is a super noisy thrashing on all the instruments before the song settles into a very minimal and restrained section with the first bit of vocals on the album. Greep sounds like some sort of weird, twisted preacher talking about condemnation and sins. The loud thrashing then return momentarily before the second verse follows the first in a more restrained style. The track closes out with an even more manic instrumental section featuring erratic piano notes. The following track, Speedway, couldn't be more different. It features this really tight math rock groove that sounds really clean and hypnotic, with vocals from bassist Cameron Picton rambling about houses and building codes. It makes the track sound sort of Talking Heads-y to an extent.
This erratic nature is carried throughout the entire album, with the short, linear, pummelling nature of Reggae and Near DT, MI followed by the 8-minute multi-section Western. The gentle parts of this song are definitely the most serene the album gets, and the louder sections sound oddly triumphant. I think this is due to Greep's extremely eccentric delivery combined with the electronic swells in the background. The back half of the track gains some grit as the groove speeds up and up, before blindsiding you with a sudden switch back to the gentle first part of the song.
I do find that the album does get a bit much in the second half, with Greep's vocals becoming consistently more deranged and possessed, and the harsh, distorted loudness more persistent. The vocals on bmbmbm (yes that is the title of the track...) are something that has really stuck with me because of how insane (and frankly pretty offputting) they are. Greep repeats the line "she moves with a purpose" over and over like some sort of lunatic stalker over an incredibly tense and harsh repeated bassline. The screams and laughs at the back of the mix only add to the insanity of the track.
The closer, Ducter, is one of the most restrained and sane tracks on the album, and its one of my favourites. The track is built off this chiming, repeated guitar pattern and a rising and falling bass. Greep's vocals are a step down from the relentless insanity and are pretty intelligible. The track slowly builds up to its climax, with each element introduced one at a time; with the track never being overcome by the noise. Greep sing's "You will not break me" with the same sort of eccentric triumphance as he does on Western.
This album is certainly not for everyone, and I have to be in the right mood to enjoy it. But there is a sense of virtuosity and daringness to just how unique it is that I really respect. However I think it is just too standoff-ish and challenging for me to ever really love. To be honest, a lot of my appreciation for individual tracks on the record has been through them coming up on shuffle, where I can move onto something else afterwards so the relentless noise doesn't drain me.
Top Tracks: 953, Speedway, Reggae, Western, Ducter
7/10
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