I've been having a bit of a blog crisis lately. It's been difficult deciding what direction I want to take things here. Time spent running was always a quiet, solitary time that I used to listen to full albums and do album reviews. Asbury Lanes would bring "newsworthy" shows to the area at least every few weeks. As I've gotten away from running regularly and since the shows have stopped at Asbury Lanes, my writing about albums and local shows has slowed. I'll share a song premiere here or some photos there, but the longer pieces here have been fewer and farther between.
When Mike Duffy of Providence, Rhode Island's Black Oil Incinerator shared his band's LP with me, I got a little jolt of what I think I like to do around here. Built in Space is a noisy collection of psych- / shoegaze rock that I just like. Simple as that. So I figured I'd share it with you. Black Oil Incinerator are four guys (Billy Barry, Johnny McMahon, Dave Tuetken, and Duffy) from Providence putting out their first full-length on a small cassette label (Academia Tapes Plus), and I just think you should check out the album.
Built in Space opens with "Bricks," its guitar and feedback eventually progressing to something more wall-of-sound noisy. It's got a bit of a retro feel like some of the proto-shoegaze of Jesus and Mary Chain. "Locust" lumbers along at its beginning before working its way up to a noise frenzy over the course of 8-plus minutes.
When the band headed out to the farmlands of Rhode Island to record with Jared Mann at his Distorted Forest Studio, their original thought was to produce a 6-song EP. Mann corralled the "loud and highly dysfunctional band" into nailing "Locust" and all of its tempo changes on the first take. With some extra time available, Built in Space became a full-length with the band deciding to see what Mann's ear could do for some of their older tracks. Previously available only on a live recording, those songs -- "Cards on the Table," "Huge Bruise," "Bus Stop," and the previously mentioned "Bricks" -- all benefit from the studio treatment as some of the edges have been sharpened and the individual instruments are that much more articulate through the walls of noise.
As far as the other new songs go," Honey Stings" and its simple story of a girl and a stolen car ambles along on a vibe that reminds me of Asbury Park favorites Wreaths; while the title track chugs urgently forward like the build up to a rocket launch. Closer "This Weight" is one of those psych rock / shoegaze tracks in which it's easy to lose yourself if you just let go and let it happen.
Built in Space isn't the biggest album release this week by any stretch. It's not a release by one of our local bands. It's an album that a hard-working band from Providence, Rhode Island shared with me that I felt like sharing with you. If you like noise, if you like shoegaze, if you like Jesus and Mary Chain or Wreaths, you'll probably find something you like here. And if that happens, then I think I know why I'm doing this.
Built in Space is available now over at Black Oil Incinerator's Bandcamp page and from Academia Tapes Plus.
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