MK-O - "Blues For The White Nigger" Review

Artist/ Band: MK-O
Title: Blues For The White Nigger
Label: PUZZLEMUSIK
Year of Release: 2011
Offical Artist/ Band Link

The Review:

MK-O's 2011 release sounds ripe for introduction into KCRW's eclectic musical stew, that station being considerably known for exposing certain acts, like Beck and Coldplay, in the past to a greater consumer demographic. Blues For The White Nigger is so eclectic it might also be confused for a sampler, excepting the recurrence of Marina Kanavaki's and Oannes's — the "MK" and "O" in MK-O — clever, eh? — voices on the six of twelve tracks that contain vocals. That's right, half the album is instrumental. Stylistic rigidity is de-emphasized and melodies prevail as genre lines blur with the symphonic lounge shuffle of "White Nigger Blue 2," the Daft Punkish synth funk orgy "Disco Utopia," and the astral shoegaze of "Lockstep." "One Touch" could be described as "Florence [of ...and the Machine] produced by Kraftwerk," and "Drowning In Debts" the result of cross-pollinating Muse with post-'70s ELP. That might sound weird, but the song is rather good and actually has something resembling a hook. The Blues instrumentals sport a good deal of piano, too. Even the camp synthesized sounds are high quality, no Casio cheese here. This is a sleeper of an album whose impact will be noticeably felt after its blow has landed.

Reviewed by Elias Granillo Jr on October 18th, 2011

Tracks:

01. Desdaimona by Night (3:24)

02. Blackface (5:34)

03. One Touch [15'] (5:31)

04. White Nigger Blue I (3:35)

05. White Nigger Blue II (3:03)

06. Artifacts (1:55)

07. Drowning In Debts (5:28)

08. Lockstep (3:40)

09. Transfiguration (4:41)

10. Star With No Name (5:07)

11. The Angel's Machine (3:14)

12. Disco Utopia (6:45)

Reviewed Discography

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