BLACK MARKET KARMA
Woozy, off-kilter psychedelia on UK band’s 11th studio album.
Wobble FUZZ CLUB
B
lack Market Karma vocalist, multiinstrumentalist and producer Stanley Belton says that he strives for a lo-fi flavour with the punch of a high-quality recording, and there’s something fascinating about music that ignores technological imperatives to sound as pristine as possible, existing on its own terms. Black Market Karma’s previous album,
Aped Flair And Hijacked Ideas
(2022) has some mesmerising tunes subjected to effects and lo-fi fuzz, but as its title suggests, on
Wobble
they go a step further in exploring sonic degradation to engender a feeling of nostalgia. Bent notes can be expressive and voicelike, but wow and flutter and pitch fluctuations – which one might get from budget cassettes and off-centre pressings – are another matter. Although that effect is generally used sparingly here, on the instrumental
Waterbaby,
which uses four chords and sounds like the start of
IAm The Walrus,
it feels like the floor is moving up and down. More appealing is the acoustic guitar and analogue synth based
Lead Laces
and the layers of smooth fuzz guitars and uplifting vocal melody of
The Death Throes Of Nuance,
but even here, a little goes a long way.