Blackmilk

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"A very sweet and intoxicating, psychedelic number" - Caroline Tran (Triple J) on Moments in Time -April 07
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- Triple J

GHOST TALK REVIEW
2006

"Despite lifting their name from a blissfully hypnotic Massive Attack groove, Blackmilk's main interest lies in forceful and dark indie-rock. This Perth quartet's intense white noise, as evidenced in Picture This, is thankfully offset with a melody-soaked guitar line, confirming that a focused approach to songwriting is clearly a priority.

As the title suggests, opening track, Nerve Ending, is a frenzied rock-out complete with a tense vocal delivery and unrestrained buzzsaw guitar. Blackmilk are at their best, however, when they allow the driving guitar parts, such as in the title track, to escalate into a fine, hysterical mess.

As a whole, Ghost Talk evokes the strange image of an anxious, panic-stricken Nirvana, or, Radiohead's early flirtation with grunge during the Pablo Honey era. Pop music with an edge."

Robert Penney - XPRESS MAGAZINE


- XPRESS Magazine

Feature in Sydney’s "Music Feeds" Mag

Blackmilk

Written by: Z

"Do you know one of the best things about music? Specifically, I am thinking of live performance here, so, one of the best things is the music that you go to see can help you find more music. Confused? I am all the time. Anyway, I was at the Music Feeds HQ and there was a discussion about what was going in the next issue, psychedelic acts were being discussed and my mind twigged. Here I am listening to this talk of psychedelic rock and I think wait a sec, what about that band I saw the other night… Blackmilk?

Next thing I know I'm chatting away on the phone to a laid back and intelligent musician, James Sherry, who's fronting a band that hails from the hills, outside of Perth. Taking their name from the Massive Attack song, "it's one of our favourite tracks", James describes a band that is a tight unit, one that is based on friendship and love of good music. The band consists of childhood friends Rick and James, who've played together "since we were 11 years old", along the way they picked up John on bass, Tim on lead guitar, and Todd who plays the keys, percussion and much to my joy, the tambourine.

It seems my phone call has interrupted some important spa/sauna shenanigans. "Yeah our management has been pretty good to us." Good? A five star hotel on the Gold Coast seems a significant step-up from the six-people-to-one-room-backpackers that they'd been staying in on their last trip to Melbourne.

Describing how they hooked up with Hulahoop Management James laughs, "Yeah these two girls approached us after a gig and said…they were interested in working with us, numbers were exchanged…it just skyrocketed from there."

Skyrocketed is correct. Not only are they in the middle of their first nation-wide tour, but Davey D the infamous tour manager for the Brian Jones Town Massacre and The Warlocks is along for the ride. James is enjoying the tour saying, "it's great to just lose yourself in the music and forget about whatever might be going on.''
He describes their sound, "I think that as you grow up you find out what music suits you…we have gravitated to that sound we have, whatever that sound may be and I guess it can be called psychedelic rock."

Commenting on the recording process of their new single, 'Wanderlust', "I think it's one of the best recordings we've done, definitely. We did it ourselves this time and had a lot more of our own input…we recorded it at Tim, John and Todd's house; they all live together and have a studio there."
We drifted onto the current state of Australian music, "a lot of the stuff that you hear on the commercial radio stations and Video Hits, well, it just blows my mind that it gets airplay at all! When those shows are on I am usually screaming at the TV wanting to smash it in. There are a lot of bands with no substance getting a lot of airplay…It's just annoying because I know a lot of bands personally that are just so much better than what's getting the rotation. The worst thing is that all our friends, not just people in bands, think this way too and it's a problem…There's a lot of great music out there and I'll testify to that."

Blackmilk are soon heading off to the US, not before playing support for The Warlocks on their Australian tour. Do yourself a favour and get to one of their shows before you miss out"

www.musicfeeds.com.au - Musicfeeds

B L A C K M I L K " L I G H T B O D Y E P" R E V I E W S


If you have been waiting, like me, for an Australian band to come out with modern rock music, showing off a raw, deconstructed but melodic sound tangled throughout evocative lyrics, then my fellow music lovers we have hit the jackpot. Creating perfection in a home Perth studio, Blackmilk’s sound is reminiscent of black light bulbs and muffled mics.

The seven tracks that make their debut on this record are each individual in their own right, yet blend together harmoniously to give listeners a good kick in the pants that there is still talent lurking on the western side of Australia. Fractured by 60’s and 80’s influences, Light Body serves up an alternative and distinct sound that emits it’s comfortable within its peculiar individuality. Formed by James Sherry, Rick Newick, Tim Sherry, John Craft and Todd Picket, Blackmilk have been touring the Eastern side of our fair land alongside fellow muso’s British India, The Dandy Warhols and The Basics. Initially opening up the EP is Nanosecond, this in my opinion is the best track on the record; it plates up such an amazing meal of dirty guitar riffs, heavy drums and sly, sexy vocals to be devoured. These flow simultaneously into one another; the track reminds you of going to see a gig in a packed venue, the crowd swaying with arms flailing in the air surrounded by body heat, with that sensual kiss being had by those in the corner that think they’re secluded from everyone else.

The other highlights include Wolves and The Cosmic Giggle with vocals at times leading into screams, trust me it works though; I would scream too if I was making musical excellence (and I didn’t sound like someone was strangling a deranged homeless cat). Songs like Maya, Pythia and Running on Empty exude some slower, relaxed melodies alongside acoustic guitar and harmonica which really balance the record; showing that they aren’t just raging young men, but are capable of mellow, eyes closed and head swaying tracks.

Several of the songs lyrics seem to convey a supported resistance against institutionalization otherwise known as the ‘don’t let the man get you down’ sentiment, which are cleverly disguised by Sherry’s frayed and muffled vocals. Unquestionably an up and coming band to sink your teeth into, if this EP is just a mere taste of what is to come; tongues will be wagging with salivary anticipation.

Review by Caity - www.thedwarf.com.au



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"This is an incredibly accomplished seven-track release. The production on it, recorded in a North Perth house, is simply fantastic. Opener The Nanosecond is a fit of scorching songwriting of the highest calibre. Cliches are not to be found here. Second track Maya starts as a melodic dreamy ditty that works up to a crescendo during the first chorus before settling back into it's groove nicely and building again slowly. Pythia moves into a more experimental arrangement before the rock comes back. Blackmilk have out-done themselves and created a wonderfully lush rock mini-album here."

Jason Kenny
Drum Media


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"Showcasing excellent production for a home-recorded release, Blackmilk's Light Body EP manages to call to mind the heady psychedelic rock of the 1970's while still sounding crisp and clear.

Maya is a standout track, wrapping the listener in multicoloured layers of dreamy guitar noise. The verse floats, the chorus swells - the overall effect is intoxicating. The Nanosecond is a little more aggressive, mucking around in the dirty energy that makes Blackmilk such a hypnotising live outfit; James Sherry's vocal delivery builds from a soaring call to a near-scream.

The boys change direction a little on Pythia, a little acoustic escapade that writhes under a layer of soulful harmonica melodies and lead breaks, without lowering the record's pace. While every track on this EP is a unique experience, there's a certain spacey motif that ties the whole record together nicely - the lyrics are suitably esoteric, adding weight to this feeling.

If you like your rock-n-roll a little psychedelic, the Light Body EP is well worth checking out."

spaceshipnews.com.au


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- Various

When it’s done well, as it is with Blackmilk, psychedelic rock can be hypnotizing. A week prior to their launch, the Blackmilk boys said they'd taken the more raw and brutal elements of their stage sound (feedback etc) and replaced it with more ambient sounds on the record. Tonight, it was all about putting that energy back, and Blackmilk did it with ease. At times, there was so much going on in their mix it was almost indecipherable, but the point never seemed to be anything other than that. As over used as the phrase is, Blackmilk created a wall of sound.

In a truly strange blend, the band's sound was almost chaotic, yet in contrast, the band played with a very casual, relaxed charm. It's a similar principle you find in most stoner rock bands - intense music played by mellow dudes. Even the mellower musical moments still had an edge to them that would often be a precursor to everything exploding again, and the hurricane resuming.

Because their music is so hard to pinpoint, and because they are a different band on stage than in the studio, Blackmilk are never really going to be burdened with any kind of pressure to up their commercial appeal, which will leave the door wide open for them to do just about anything they want. Considering how much of huge market there is in this world for colourful music such as theirs, it could be a very successful venture for them.

Or, at the very least, a fun adventure with their mates.


Mike Wafer
Xpress Magazine - Perth

- Xpress Magazine