Soft Black
New York City, New York, United States
Music
Press
A bizarro-world Neil Young with less polish and more paranoia. - Rolling Stone
Their new album, The Earth is Black (and Other Apocalyptic Lullabies for Children), has some good songs on it. - Brooklyn Vegan
The Earth Is Black doesn’t play a bum note. It’s a strikingly personal album from an artist with something to say - in this case dealing with the effects of deep fear, religious doubt, and sleep deprivation stemming from an endless series of nightmares. Quite simply, a great rock and roll record.
Read more: http://www.myspace.com/vincentcacchione#ixzz0wEDRX8bJ - Pop Headwound
The Earth Is Black doesn’t play a bum note. It’s a strikingly personal album from an artist with something to say - in this case dealing with the effects of deep fear, religious doubt, and sleep deprivation stemming from an endless series of nightmares. Quite simply, a great rock and roll record. - Impose Magazine
Soft Black, who I had not seen before, came out and blew me away. As I sat mere feet from frontman Vincent Cacchione, the band gave an 8-song ripper of a performance that included several of the best numbers from the band’s latest The Earth is Black as well as some new songs that should hopefully see the light of day this year or early next. The band’s name is spot-on, as they offer up a sound that draws from classic rock, folk, Americana and a hint of punk contrasted with lyrics that are uncharacteristically dark. The Earth is Black, in fact, a narrative song cycle inspired by some of Cacchione’s nightmares. Fittingly, the band dedicated “Ashtray Christ,” the strongest number of the night, to the show’s organizer. Like the rest of us, by then he was smiling. - NYCTAPER.COM
"I am An Animal" is a gruff, primitive rock song that appeals to the carnivore and caveman within you; it's seductive in its gritty imperfection. Over DIY garage band riffs, Soft Black's Vincent Cacchoine howls and spits, "If I break my back; if the smoke fills up my lungs; I'll be howling in a jungle choir," and then continues on a punked-out rant about blood and carcasses. Meanwhile, the electric guitar sporadically grunts and groins, like breaks that need oil, before splaying into a cymbal-clashing, guitar-riffing chorus.
"The Lion" on the other hand channels the folk-rock sentiments of The Band and Dylan in the loose, Southern rock tenor of Dead Confederate or Blitzentrapper.
Keep an eye on Soft Black; they've recently released their second record,The Earth Is Black, purportedly based on a series of Cacchoine's dreams/nightmares, and are prepped to perform this Wednesday at Cakeshop.
Faith-Ann Young
http://www.rcrdlbl.com/2009/02/02/download_soft_black_i_am_an_animal - rcrdlbl.com
Soft Black is the brainchild of local singer/songwriter Vincent Cacchione, whose own personal catharsis from a series of nightmares that kept plaguing him involved….therapy? Nah. Ambien? Nope. How about writing and recording a bunch of songs about it over the span of a year? Now that’s more like it. The resulting album - The Earth Is Black - is an immensely satisfying throwback folk (but not folk)-rock listen, alternating between fist-pumping anthems like “I Am An Animal” (listen below) and catchy campfire slow jams like “Time Gets Away And Has Its Way With You”. Sorry Vince, but your nightmares are everyone else’s gain - EarFarm.com
Discography
"Blue Gold" LP 2007 (self-released)
"Pearl With No String" 7" Single 2008 (Plays With Dolls Records)
"The Earth is Black" LP 2009 (Plays With Dolls Record)
Photos
Bio
Soft Black is the moniker Vincent Cacchione has attached to his music for the past four years. While the sound and atmosphere of the project have evolved (it is now more of a legitimate band), the focus continues to revolve around Cacchione's poetry.
Inspired by his father's twilight years, the band's first record "Blue Gold" was a heartfelt and cosmic rumination on this loss. The song cycle transformed the pain of the songwriter into a therapeutic and tender dissection on aging, sickness, and addiction.
With the fan-base Soft Black began to gather after the release of "Blue Gold," Cacchione was able to garner the interest of local Brooklyn indie-label Plays With Dolls, who helped Cacchione complete his next labor of love, "The Earth is Black," a psychedelic and symbolist concept album based around Cacchione's most visceral nightmares.
"The Earth is Black" has been Soft Black's most successful record, climbing to #60 on CMJ's Top 200 and gathering praise from Rolling Stone, Impose, Brooklyn Vegan, and Largehearted Boy to name just a few.
Presently the band is working on a collection of songs that is provided as the soundtrack to Cacchione's first novella.
Vincent Cacchione is 25 years old and lives and works in Brooklyn.
Links
