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Players: Paolo Iocca (Guitar,Voice,Bass,Organ,Percussions,Found Objects), Marcella Riccardi (Guitar,Voice,Banjo,Mandolin,Organ,Drum Machine,), Davy DeLaFuente (Drums,Percussions,Voice), Oren Wagner (Organ,Bass,Banjo,Voice,Percussions)
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Selected Press for Border Radio:
JERSEY BEAT // The Quinland Chronicles
Blake/e/e/e, along with having a confusing name, also has a highly varied musical personality on Border Radio. The disc begins with “Holy Dub”, and it is what one would expect: a bouncy, rhythmic dub track. This is easy enough, but that is where the simplicity ends. “New Millennium’s” is gorgeous in its delivery. This lush, sprawling track introduced a subtlety into the record before changing gears to the straight forward “lack of Self-Explanation”. This track drones, rises, fades away, and then returns with another droning riff. The remnants of this song slide into the Beach Boys-inspired “narrow Zone”. Psychedelic and fun, this track was my early favorite until I heard the next song, “Time Machine”. This could have been the title track for this disc, as Blake/e/e/e is a throwback of a band that refuses to surrender to what is dominating radio and pop culture to generate music that is wholly original. The throbbing bass, strange, ethereal vocals and hypnotic rhythm of “Time Machine” made it my favorite of the record. From this point forward, Blake/e/e/e revisits a series of ideas: “Holy, Yes to the Sunny Days” and “Saint Lawrence Tears” both revolve around pseudo-country riffs and twangy, folk-inspired playing. Additionally, “Dub-Human-is” resurrects a similar idea from the opening song. This particular song seemed to move slowly out of the blocks, filling the listener with a sense of uncertainty. However, the song is allowed to take its’ time, as the track lingers for ten minutes! The title track “Border Radio” and “The Thing’s Hollow” are nearly tribal in their energy, with the latter featuring magnificent female vocals and lyrics about stars, space, and a lack of gravity. This disc may be the soundtrack to a bizarre hallucination, and it is truly for a select audience.
Rich Quinlan
SOUND AS LANGUAGE
The dub of the appropriately titled album opener “Holy Dub” opens up Blake/e/e/e’s Border Radio. While it is not necessarily a harbinger of things to come, it does speak to the wide open frontiers that lay ahead of the listener. Border Radio reminds me of a band like Califone and their unique brand of songwriting. Both Califone and Blake/e/e/e are centered around folk but extensively explore the experimental side of the genre. Both groups hail from Chicago as well.
After arguably the album’s two most accessible tracks, “New Millenium’s Lack Of Self Explanation” and “The Great Rescue Episode,” the band sets off on a great exploration. Touching on another Chicago musician, “Narrow Zone” sounds like some of Tim Kinsella’s more off-the-wall material. The abrasive “Time Machine” is what I would describe as a misstep. But even a misstep brings out the charm of Blake/e/e/e. At every point of Border Radio, the band shows a willingness to use their entire sonic space. “The Thing’s Hollow” sees Marcella Riccardi taking over on vocals for the first time. Recalling the grace and power of PJ Harvey, the song rumbles below the surface before coming to an appropriate end. “Holy Yes To The Sunny Days” majestically recalls Sub Pop’s Holopaw with its banjo and understated beauty. The 10 minute “Dub-Human-Ism” is next and it is almost hypnotic in its other-worldly approach. Album closer “Saint Lawrence Tears” sees Riccardi making another vocal appearance. Once again, it is a highlight as her voice floats over a lone banjo. The song is a powerful statement that leads the album to a timely finish. The production of Settlefish guitarist Bruno Germano should be noted as he always allows the band’s unmistakable personality to breathe through.
In essence, Border Radio is a telling album title. Blake/e/e/e take the listener on a vivid and diverse musical journey. The band walks the tightrope of being eclectic but hardly ever to the detriment of their songs. Through fields of indie, folk and psychedelic rock, Blake/e/e/e delve into the heart and soul of experimental songcraft. Afterall, this is not radio, it’s Border Radio.
Will Miller // Sound As Language
MP3 HUGGER
Do you like your long players to be cosily consistent? Nah, me neither. That’s why the hop, skip and jump nature of Blake/e/e/e’s (ah, for feck’s sake, here’s to playing havoc with googlers the world over) debut ‘Border Radio’ is currently smoking up my hard drive. You see it is very difficult to pin down the blackguards, one minute they are introspective and thoughtful the next they are bursting out the traps like a highly-strung greyhound. Evidence of the dichotomy is particularly evident on the schizophrenic ‘New Millennium's Lack Of Self Explanation’. Now here’s a tune to wet your experimental hoarding receptors, a song that could only exist in a post Arcade Fire meltdown. Franklin Delano were an Italian act and two thirds of the ashes now make up the Chicago based Blake/e/e/e, seems that place just got a whole lot breezier.
Kevin Dunphy
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