On-Air Review: Big Black Delta

Artist: Big Black Delta
Album: Big Black Delta
Released: June 4, 2013
Label: Master of Bates

Former Mellowdrone front man and founder Jonathan Bates takes you on a 2013 space odyssey with his solo project, Big Black Delta. While Big Black Delta is on the rise, Bates has been noted for his collaborated work with M83, who he toured with in 2012. Big Black Delta’s sophomore self-titled release abducts the ceiling off of your typical electronic album.

The second track, Side of the Road is the shining star in Big Black Delta’s virtual universe. With glitchy yet gravitational grooves over soulful, disco-tinged vocals, this track reveals Bates’ optimism toward the 21st-century digital landscape.

Bates’ incredible production capabilities radiate by the amount of varying electronic sounds on this album. But for those who want to take a Dolorean back through time, the tracks “Huggin’ and Kissin’, “Capsize,” “Money Rain Down,”  and “Into The Night” eclipse ‘80’s indebted beats.

The explicit eighth track’s galactic gospel blasts through your speakers with a sonic boom as Bates wails for a reciprocated love.  The next track “X22” matches cowbells with exploding riffs in a speaker-blasting Death From Above tune.

Dreary Moon, the tenth track on the album, features a duet with m83’s Morgan Kibby. Echoing through a thoughtful dark abyss, a shadow of David Bowie hovers around the melody. This track along with “Love you this summer” are the more mellowed tracks on this supernova of an album.

With nostalgic synth pop sounds fused with bits of lo-fi, indie, and experimental tones, an undoubted romantic energy runs rampant as Big Black Delta’s newest album brings you closer to an encounter of the third kind.

Get a chance to catch Big Black Delta live at FunFunFun Fest 2013.

More Information at BigBlackDelta.com

Reviewed By: Kelsey Baker