Music: Blackmarket: Blackmarket

Our Take

It isn’t very often that a band achieves fame and success in another country before they were recognized in their homeland, but such is the case with Arizona’s Blackmarket. Having been signed to Rough Trade Japan and performed numerous festivals in Japan, the band is finally releasing an EP in their home country so that their music will gain even more exposure. And they certainly deserve this exposure, as Blackmarket’s self titled EP contains some of the more enchanting and addictive indie rock to have passed through my stereo in recent months.

Blackmarket immediately impresses with standout riffs, particularly on songs such as “Sheila” and “White Lie”. Their music is highly focused on addictive melodies and each of the five songs on this EP are sure to entice listeners (there are six songs overall but one is an edited mix of the track “Sheila”). However, unlike other bands of this type there is actually some substance behind the melodic styles that are meant to draw listeners in. Blackmarket has the means to draw listeners in and keep them with their instrumental arrangements, and I’d love to see this band prove that they can continue to do that on a full length release.

The group’s vocalist is extremely melodic, but also has a lot of power behind his voice. This gives Blackmarket’s music a great sense of energy, and puts them in the realm of upbeat indie rock rather than slower, acoustic indie rock. He also sings in a style that is easy to understand, making the band’s music easy to sing along to and all the more memorable. Admittedly the singer of Blackmarket doesn’t possess the most unique voice on the market, but the sheer energy he puts behind every word should help the group to appeal to many listeners.

With their US EP, Blackmarket definitely impresses. The band already has a successful EP and full length in Japan, and hopefully this Arizona based group will achieve as much acclaim with this self titled EP in their home country as they have abroad. I look forward to seeing what else this band can accomplish, and hopefully their future material showcases as much attention to detail as the songs heard on this release do.

http://www.myspace.com/blackmarketaz

Chris Dahlberg
June 10, 2008