April 29, 2010
When I say the Black Swans' new songs are "haunted," I mean that as literally as the word can be interpreted. After the Columbus, Ohio, band finished recording its second album Change!, violinist Noel Sayre died suddenly in a swimming pool accident in July 2008. He left a laptop full of recordings-- some incidental music, some snippets of melody-- which singer-songwriter Jerry DeCicca incorporated into the Black Swans' follow-up, Words Are Stupid. That's Sayre setting the scene on opener "Blurk", adding dramatic eddies of violin to "Open Sky", and kazooing on "Kazood". He remains only a glimmer at the edges of the music-- present and pointedly not present-- but it's not the tragedy of his death that makes this strange, smart, soulful album resonate so darkly. His playing has always been crucial to the band's sound, adding a dusky ambiance to DeCicca's world-weary croak and bluesy, brainy lyrics. Why wouldn't these found sounds do the same?
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