Black Dice - Chicago, IL

Three guys stand onstage in a triangle. (BOOM) Each member has a "station" and they perform various tasks that result in funky beats and splintering egos. Eric Copeland was knob-twisting and hitting something covered with a towel while his brother Bjorn Copeland was playing the guitar behind a B D suitcase. Aaron Warren did a lot of dancing and also drumming and also knob-twisting and YES! also drum machine-ing. Make no mistake this is not your mama's noise band. Behind all the action a large screen was the benefactor of some pretty electrifying visuals. It was hard to tell exactly what was going on, but it helped build the experience into an audio/visual attack.

Things don't quite come together live for Black Dice. Or do they? I'm not sure. New song "Kokomo" was the swampy start, more seasick than it's recorded counterpart. When Aaron dropped the beat the song was already a little too cockeyed to read. "Roll Up" came and went in much the same way. This is the second time I've seen Black Dice live in the past year, and both times were loud and confusing. Songs were cut with blasts of noise and funky engine revs, which helped to intensify the experience. This is no surprise considering their history. Please find the Cold Hands EP and experience the Black Dice that drank your blood.

Then came new track "Scavenger" and it was beautiful. The guitar twanged up and down while a toy-factory was played in reverse. On the record, Eric Copeland's garbled vocals come in like someone trying to communicate through a partying-spaceship. The song is a standout on the band's latest, Load Blown, but Eric's vocals were unfortunately lost on stage. Turn them up man. Then they played new/old track "Drool" and everything was in its right place. The clicks clicked and the ticks ticked and suddenly Aaron Warren became a DJ. So what, exactly, is going on; I don't know. But I love it!

New song "Bananas" was another crowd pleaser. Eric sings about living in the jungle (?) and an elephant creeps around in a drip-dropping cave trying to remember what the circus sounds like. Slow fade out and a digital sputter gnaws a path through the rest of the song. Bang.

"Manoman" pretty much sums itself up in the title. Petrified loops gulp and bump-hop alongside galloping yelps and then everything breaks down and some of Creature Comforts returns for the finish.

The event was held at the seated Lakeshore Theater. Kids did their best to dance in front of the stage. OH! There was this young guy that was missing an arm but damn he shook his ass and made me do a double-take. The event was hosted by the Empty Bottle, which makes me wonder why the band couldn't have played there?

Hooray! For Load Blown! It's your favorite new album! Go!