With the release of Bright Black Heaven just days away we’ve decided to go ahead and do a review of the record for you all. While the record itself is still not 100% perfect it does a damn good job of being enjoyable. It has its high points and it definitely has its low points, but it should be noted that overall the tracks are very cohesive in the context of the record. This record truly shines with Deconstructing Gods, Everybody’s Friends, Let’s Be Honest, and With Your Arms Around You. It’s in this section where you can really feel how well Davey and Jade fit together as partners. Every beat that Jade lets loose is evenly matched by Davey with his superb melodies. Deconstructing Gods is probably the most emotional out of all twelve tracks and what makes it good is that this one feels honest and real, rather than being trite and contrived.The emotion in this song really pours from Davey’s mouth in the chorus with lines like “Feeling freezes when I know you want me, it’s time to leave you here” Coming from the first three tracks this almost feels like a breath of fresh air before moving on into the three most danceable and almost club friendly songs. While Davey’s voice isn’t perfect in Everybody’s Friends it’s still an upbeat and very fun track and here again you can hear the improvements that Jade has made with programming in the five years since their debut Cex Cells. Even though Davey’s vocals aren’t top notch here, it’s easy to overlook that and focus on the amazing performance Jade does in this one. His loops and beats are so infectious that it’s easy to see yourself letting go out on the dance floor.
Let’s Be Honest and With Your Arms Around You are the two most Depeche Mode-esque songs on the record and they both work extremely well. Let’s Be Honest is by far the BEST track on this record and it deserves that recognition. It’s poppy, fun, and extremely catchy and it will most certainly become an instant classic and a fan favorite. The verses in this song are a nice build into the best chorus on the record and I guarantee that after listening to this song you’ll find yourself singing “Talk, talk, talk about him!” Blaqk Audio will have no problem getting the crowd moving with this song. Everything is wrapped up perfectly. Jade’s amazing work, Davey’s ability to evenly match the exact flow of the music is absolutely perfect. Fans of Depeche Mode will absolutely adore With Your Arms Around You. It’s almost uncanny how well they almost emulate DM in the music. The track starts off with a slow dramatic verse that leads into a high hitting emotional chorus that demands to be sung aloud. It’s a perfect way to end the overall best part of the record.
With that said, there are still some problems with a few of the songs. The weakest tracks on the record are by far Cold War and Faith Healer and it’s almost a challenge to get through each of them respectively. Cold War isn’t an awful song on its own, but when it’s forced to be the opening track, it just doesn’t quite hit the mark. Jade’s work and Davey’s melodies don’t really demand attention and it doesn’t do a very good job at setting the tone for the record. Jade’s loops and beats are all very basic and bland, while Davey’s melodies just fall flat and become somewhat annoying by the time you hit the hook at the end.
Faith Healer is also another song that falls flat on Bright Black Heaven. Jade’s programming here is spot on and he really knows how to attract the audience with the intro. Unfortunately Davey’s melodies are monotonous and the lyrics are a bit cheesy, especially in the awfully bland bridge where he asks the audience “Does he ever speak to you like I do? Does he ever feel the way that I feel?” It almost feels as if there was a disconnect and Davey just isn’t grasping what Jade is doing in this song and it’s a real shame that it turned out this way. There could have been so much more to this song, from the verses to the shallow choruses
These are just the highs and lows of the record, there is of course the other half of the record. This other half isn’t very memorable and while it’s disappointing, it’s not necessarily a horrible thing. The songs are very enjoyable they just don’t really bring anything new or take anything a way from the overall experience from the record. They act as nothing more than simple filler tracks to fill out the shape of the album. The only exception in this list is the very touching track Ill Lit Ships. While, it doesn’t do a good job at tying everything together, it really is the best track on the record to end things. The soft piano makes it almost relaxing to listen to and Davey’s soothing melody really compliments this. The chorus isn’t huge, but it works well with the overall heartbeat of the song and the whispers in the bridge are really fantastic. This is one song where Davey truly shines.
All in all this record is a decent Sophomore album from Blaqk Audio and while it isn’t anywhere near album of the year material it’s still worth listening to. Jade is really and truly the best thing on this record and his growth with programming has really taken Blaqk Audio to new levels. Davey has his hiccups every now and then, but when he gets his groove going he doesn’t let up. 7/10
Guys: Freedom of speech is strongly encouraged in this blog. If you want to read fangirly reviews, where everything “the boys” do/make/create/say is amazing, and if you don’t agree your post is removed, I’d like to invite you to brightblackheaven.com
Someone is still pressed over useless drama. At least BrightBlackHeaven.com doesn’t attack other sites or readers. Main reason why I visit them.
What’s funny is “J” is Mary from BrightBlackHeaven.com! Here’s her IP to prove it: 67.173.32.82. Type it in here to see proof: http://www.whatsmyip.org/ip-geo-location/.
lolwut rotflmfaobbq
Comment above made by Mary from bbh.com, just so you guys know.
I don’t think you guys should be posting opinionated reviews like this under the name of the website. The sole views of one person should not be marketed as news, nor as representing the site as a whole. It’d be cool if there were editorial spotlights where admins (and possibly readers, too!) wrote reviews and the like under their own names, but leaving the website to just presenting unbiased news.
I’ve taken this into consideration and I’m actually in the process of editing the review to take my personal ideas out of it. It was actually taken down while I work on it, but I will be editing it in a few hours.
Thanks for your feedback though, it’s much appreciated and it is noted =)
I’d also like to add that both Pablo and I approved the review.
I liked some songs that Danny didn’t, and viceversa. I trust him as an admin. He was not just picked at random or using a stupid “Wanna be our admin then write us” system. He was picked by a reason.
Just so you guys know, expect personal opinions from all the admins/writers/readers from this site. As long as it’s made respectfully, be prepared to read good/bad reviews, of the things we like/dislike that AFI/Blaqk Audio do.
whoops sorry, meant *shouldn’t in my last comment
I personally give it a 6, Cex Cells Now still stands as their best work. I have seen ignorant comments saying Cex Cells sounds all the same -_- um i think this sounds more the same then Cex Cells. I mean if someone thinks “Between Breaths”, “Semiotic Love” and “Wake Up…” Sound the same, They have some very poor understanding of music or the genre itself, Cause lets face it, there were some AFI fans who never even listened to techno/electric music until the jumped the Blaqk Audio Bandwagon, And they must be those people who made such ridiculous comments.
I can’t shake the feeling that among those ‘ridiculous comments’ is mine, so allow me to redeem myself by saying that when I posted such things I’d only heard songs that sounded largely the same (piano keys, dramatic choruses, nearly-whispered vocals, you can’t argue that there’s no shortage of those on CC).
i agree but Cex Cells is clearly less repetitive then bright black.
Oh, for sure. Just now I listened to Mute then The Love Letter, vastly different.
See
It’s not a bad album, my ears didn’t bleed after listening to it, buuuuut CexCells was way, way better.
Of Course! Cex Cells Has way more different sounding tracks, Bright Black almost feels one sided, especially daveys vocals unfortunately -_-
Yeah. I wanted/missed a song like Bitter For Sweet, The Fear of Being Found or Wake Up in BBH. But it’s not a bad album. It has really grown on me since yesterday.
Come on guys, enough with the name calling and complaining. There are preteen pop sensation fansites for silliness like that elsewhere.
Us AFI &/or BA fans are very diverse, and we don’t always see eye to eye on many matters, but honestly if there isn’t anything nice to say then it shouldn’t be said. We should try to all get along in the name of appreciation for the men who are AFI and Blaqk Audio.
The band does count on this site to provide updated news and they probably come here (or at least Adam), so be professional or civil and respect one another.
-Jasmine aka UnderTheJRose
You’re right and I apologize for my behavior, it’s just frustrating when you post something and people decide to criticize it because it doesn’t reflect their feelings. I understand that you or anyone else may not agree and that’s totally fine, but there’s a point when constructive criticism turns into rude and uncalled for remarks and that’s what made me mad.
Again, I apologize for my behavior.
I actually thought the review itself was done well. To those that say “don’t post objective things in the site’s name”, look at the title of the post. DANNY’S review. Not saying everyone there agrees.
And I agree with Danny on some of the criticizers, just because it’s not a fangirl “everything’s sofa king great” review doesn’t make it a shit review by any means. It’s just one you disagree with. The whole world is full of disagreements. Get used to it.
Oh, and the CAPTCHA or whatever for this comment was 3+3=6. Nerdy woot.
Too be fair, it was originally titled “AFI News HQ Reviews BBH” but I changed that after realizing that my statements were oh so scandalous and I didn’t want what I said reflected back upon the fine staff here. Thanks for the kind words either way.
Again I do think there’s a line between constructive criticism and being blatantly rude. My thoughts on this are, if you don’t like it and think you can do better, then do it. Don’t pick pointless fights over something that doesn’t really matter.
Danny you shouldn’t worry about your statements, its your opinion and you’re entitled to it. As Jacky said, the title of the article speaks for itself. My point to my previous comment was just the manner in which we all speak to each other on here. No need for playing “who’s better” with websites and such and insulting one another. I personally enjoyed the review, and saw it to be a fair one.
I understand and thanks again.
Not a problem! I look forward to hearing the album on tues!
Danny, I thought you did a good job explaining your pros and cons with BBH. I hesitant on buying the album but with your explanations I will pick it up for sure now. Looking forward to listening to it. Keep up the good work Bro.
Thanks, man! I’m glad that I was able to help you make a decision!