Black Eyes Update 15: Full line-ups and a non-Spotify playlist...
Hello friends,
Welcome back to Speaking in Tongues, a monthly newsletter / interview series from Black Eyes that extends the thread we started with our zine of the same name. If you haven’t checked it out, you can find it here.
In this edition, we offer you full lineups for our March east coast swing and a fresh playlist that isn’t hosted by Spotify.
Full Lineups for March
We are very excited to see you at our March shows. To recap, these will be in Philadelphia on March 28, Brooklyn on March 29 and Kingston on March 30. At each stop we’re playing with some of our favorite current artists, covering the gamut of headbanging digital noise, twisted electronic punk, modern composition plus a new project from Tonie Joy, one of the wildest to ever do it. Here are links to their work.
Philadelphia
Deli Girls are one of NY’s most ferocious digital punk, noise-infused, queer warrior units working today. Fronted by Dan Orlowski, the group has, over 10+ years, pushed the edges of electronic music into truly savage, cathartic zones. Our crew first encountered them in 2021 when Daniel saw them start a mosh pit at a rave at Nowadays in NY, melting one of the custom-built speaker cabinets. They played with us as a duo in 2023 in NYC. we can’t wait to seem them lay into it once more, now in their new trio formation.
Listen: Last Day on Earth
Listen: Deli Girls live at Dripping
Deep Essence is the new project from Tonie Joy, alongside former collaborator Randy Davis. Both played in The Great Unraveling, and of course Tonie was a cornerstone of Moss Icon, Universal Order of Armageddon and The Convocation Of…, and was briefly a member of Born Against. A true legend of heavy, forward-thinking and at times scary post-hardcore music, Tonie’s oevrue is one of the great treasure troves in punk history (check out the Numero Group’s recent reissue of UoA’s discography for a refresher).
Watch: UoA Live in Cicero
Listen: The Great Unraveling
New York
Prepare yourselves for Dreamcrusher. One of NY’s most dedicated and unclassifiable noise musicians, Dreamcrusher is an artist who has established themselves in a field of their own. By their own description, they make “nihilist queer revolt music,” and to our ears that’s as accurate a description as you can get. Triangulated somewhere between the inhuman churn of Pharmakon, blistering, lo-fi black metal and the grotty, surging grooves of Container, Dreamcrusher’s music blasts you with noise walls that almost completely conceal their massive hooks and raw, HC-esque vocal incantations.
Listen: Suite TWO
Watch: Pick Up The Flow Interview
Kingston
On the other hand, Elori Saxl is responsible for some of the most beautiful and transporting modern composition of our times. Her debut album The Blue of Distance is an aqueous reimagining of minimalism as a slowed down, digitally-disrupted dreamworld. Hauntingly powerful, elusive and stunning, Saxl’s works draw you into the depths. Her most recent EP Drifts and Surfaces opens with one of those melodies that stops you in your tracks with its dead-simple structure and absolutely ruthless elegance. She’s playing a rare solo set, come early. You’ll thank us later.
Listen: The Blue of Distance
Watch: Blue (live in NYC)
A Playlist for you
We’re trying to get away from Spotify, so here’s a Buy Music Club playlist for you (click the image to mek it run).
We figured we’d also add a few notes about why we’ve included each of these. Here goes:
Mike: Our current existential turmoil has me digging into familiar music. For me, Bjork’s Homogenic and Four Tet’s There is Love in You are two examples of easy sonic brilliance that offer a kind of (temporary) relief from things as they are. Filtered though these times, “Pluto” — the closer on Homogenic — can be heard as a ripped-it-up anthem. And I’m feeling that.
Bajascilators from Bitchin’ Bajas is kind of the opposite of “Pluto” in that it’s (ever-, for this band) supreme chillness provides a welcome respite. This one was new to me. I promptly bought the album(s).
Jacob: James Brandon Lewis - Prince Eugene One of the advance tracks from this trio’s brand new album. A searing sax melody over a hypnotic deep mbira, bass, drums groove.
Joe Chambers, Kevin Diehl, Chad Taylor - Mainz Chad Taylor’s drumming and mbira playing features on this track as well from this new percussion trio LP. The whole record is killer but this track has a floating peaceful vibe that is just great.
Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra - Underneath the StarDome A live set from one of my favorite groups of the last couple years. The whole group and vibe is outstanding but imo it’s pushed over the top by Tomeka Reid’s cello playing. (The whole performance can be watched on Youtube as well and is a recommended viewing…)
Me:You - Burns Always feels good to rep some out there music from Cleveland…lo-fi, art damaged, punk r&b(?) Whatever it is its some parts sultry and some parts foreboding
Non Plus Temps - Head of State Roll Dubby, clanking post punk from Oakland. Sounds like somewhere between On U Sound and Ralph Records…but on its own trip as well…
Daniel: The Gombert, Lucier, Toki Fuko and Eden Aurelius are four different types of wintery jams - stark, enveloping, muted, deep.
The Gombert is a recent discovery. During COVID I got very into Renaissance vocal music. It made a very tense and uncertain moment feel, if not “good” or “ok,” at least linked to centuries of human toil and resilience. As we currently witness a fascist coup unfolding in front of our eyes, that same feeling is coming back.
That’s all for now.
With love,
Dan, Daniel, Hugh, Jacob, Mike