Pitch Black

Pitch Black: This Is The Modern SoundThis Is The Modern Sound (2005)
Revelation Records

Reviewer Rating: 3

User Rating:

Contributed by: InaGreendaseBrian
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on March 8th 2005Pitch Black's self-titled debut is apparently regarded by many as a competent profile of East Bay punk, albeit one that borders on AFI plagiarism. So after three years passed and the addition of a keyboardist in Jeremy Goody is factored in, it's hard to say what the next logical step in musical evol.

Pitch Black's self-titled debut is apparently regarded by many as a competent profile of East Bay punk, albeit one that borders on AFI plagiarism. So after three years passed and the addition of a keyboardist in Jeremy Goody is factored in, it's hard to say what the next logical step in musical evolution would be. I doubt it's This Is The Modern Sound, but maybe that's what gives the band's sophomore effort its charm.

The band has jumped to a more classic punk-influenced, slightly more subdued though still aggressive rock sound in the vein of Your Enemies Friends and former tour mates Pretty Girls Make Graves than anything else. What makes it odd is that for all the differences, there still seems to be a lot the album would share in common with Pitch Black's self-titled disc. It's just as dark with vocals as equally snotty as their past style would command. There's a somehow restrained yet semi-chaotic wall-of-sound for most of the tracks, filled with screeching guitars, spine-tingling organs, and a ghostly, yelping front man in Kevin Cross, all helped by production a bit more retro than most of PB's slick-sounding contemporaries. It's honestly fucking creepy, and never in an overly gothic, ironic way.

"Tonopah," which opens the album, gives a good idea of what's to come. Cross yells over staccato-like slammed drum fills and abrupt keyboard chords, and the mood is pretty much set. "Plastic Eyes" raises a few notches on the experimental meter with some weird bells and whistles for lack of a better phrase, with its follower "Mine Shafts And The Laws Of Gravity" picking up the tempo a bit and subsequently keeping a classic Bay punk influence intact. "Bronze Lady Pt. 2" is an interesting interlude of sorts towards the end of the disc, with wah-wah trumpet and some strings leading the pace of the 1:29 track.

This Is The Modern Sound isn't just an interesting step for Pitch Black; it's an indie rock trip through a very non-sardonic haunted house.

STREAM
Toothcutter
Sutured Heart
REAL AUDIO
Tonopah

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (April 3, 2005)

Their first album was pretty damned good., I must admit......

However,

This one fucking RULES.

Great change of sound, it's a bit like the old Pitch Black--but on a shitload of steroids! I hope to see them live here eventually....

Anonymous (March 23, 2005)

This is the best thing I've come acroos in a while.

Sounds like these guys have been listening to A LOT of different music.

I think they are trying to interpret history for a better tomorrow.

reminds me of the Animals, or some psych rock stuff that's PISSED!

of course nothing is new -they know it, I know it.

It's after the end of the world. Don't you know that yet?

Anonymous (March 17, 2005)

Most of you are whiny, complaining idiots. You just don't get it.

Anonymous (March 14, 2005)

Same here, classy all the way

Anonymous (March 14, 2005)

This score's for the band taking the time to participate in this message board.

readmag (March 13, 2005)

Well, I think it rocks a bit, but it's no Operation: Mindcrime.

Jamie_PitchBlack (March 13, 2005)

Hi everyone--This is Jamie from Pitch Black here. I'm excited to see people talking about the album (good or bad, it doesn't matter to me!)
A couple of things I'd like to mention (from the posts that I 've read).......First of all, don't let the name of the album and/or the artwork fool you..We're the same band doing the same thing but with a bit more experience working together. The title "The Modern Sound" simply means that this is what we're playing now, a little less traditional hardcore-punk, more than 4 chord 1-2-3-4 riffs, and lot's of loud fucking rock and roll!
When we practice, we're not trying to win anyone's heart, we play together because it's a fun way to spend the evening after a long day of work. We play the music WE like to play (especially since each of us have been in the scene for 10-15 years, we're really truly just enjoying ourselves and trying to help other people have something new to rock out to)
Don't take anything too serious, and for god's sake treat each other nice on these boards. Back in the MRR days nobody was "anonymous."
Enjoy the album (or don't) and treat each other good.
Come say "Hi" at www.the modernsound.com. We'll have a complete message/blog/profile board up in a few days.

I won't have time to check in again, unfortunately, but I thought I'd just drop in a say "Hi."

Take Care All.

Fuck Bush's Wars,

--Jamie Pitch Black

kenfuggit (March 13, 2005)

"DON'T CARE about the past bands enough to dwell on a particular genre/decade....None of us can ever see them again. So maybe you should support the new bands that put out good quality shit like this band did with this release...."

....Except in the case of RIISTETYT from finland who are on tour right fucking now. They last toured the US in 1984. I saw them in Ann Arbor last night and it was seriously in the top 2 or 3 shows I've ever seen - period. 1980's Finnish Hardcore rules.

-Ken