Straight into it! 😊
Black Sands is the title track of British DJ Bonobo’s album
of the same name. It is the album closer and stands apart from the rest of the
tracks as even more vibrant that Bonobo’s other work.
It begins with looping guitar parts, soon joined by an
acoustic bass. The bassoon like rumble of the low notes fills the space
fantastically and provides the basis for more layering as mandolins join with
woodwinds playing strange chords.
The main body of the piece begins with the entry of a
clarinet. It is not what you would call very good tone, far from it, but it gives
the piece a more human touch, in a very larger than life mystical soundscape.
The clarinet entry is timed with the drums. Complex drum patterns with
fantastic samples, what more can you ask for. It loops, layering again with
claps adding a sense for rhythmic flow.
In the background are noises that sound like bicycle gears,
giving it an old-timey industrial feel. It adds to a sense of reminiscence. The
clarinet falls away for trumpets (cornets?) and trombones to take the lead for
a bit. They are reminiscent of a chorus, in a kind of lament.
The bass falls away as sound effects take centre stage.
Delay effects on electric piano sounds give a pulsating sound, leading into a tutti,
brass joined by a saxophone and then the clarinet. The clarinet is maybe a bit
out of tune, driving a contrast with the perfect sine wave synth bass.
Now is a good point in time to take notice that this piece is
a dance. It derives roots from 6/8 dance styles, such as the Italian tarantella.
However, it diverges from these baroque-classical roots in its harmony, using
the aeolian mode instead of a harmonic minor.
The grand tutti builds up and down for a while, until the
drums fade out. Strings are revealed, as the bass is allowed to resonate
through us. The strings too fade into guitar and keyboard providing a dynamic soundscape,
until all that’s left is a guitar loop like the starting loop. This suggests
that this piece is a moment of interest in a repetitive existence. Maybe that isn’t
the point, but I find it to be a poignant interpretation.
It may be hard to tell due to the prevalence of real
instruments, but this is an electronic track through and through in terms of
form and mix style.
Final Rating: 9/10
Comparative Ranking List
1. Dear Prudence: 10/10
2. Rachmaninov Prelude in G (Original): 9/10
3. Black Sands 9/10
4. Hollywood Heart: 8/10
5. Make It Easy on Yourself 8/10
6. Another Day in America: 8/1
7. Don’t Let it Show
8. It’s Your Move (Parkinson) 7/10
9. It’s Your Move (Vaporwave Version) 7/10
10. It’s Your Move (Ross) 7/10
11. Don’t Lead Me On 7/10
12. Rachmaninov Prelude in G (VSO): 5/10
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