Dumb Flesh
| Dumb Flesh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Blanck Mass | ||||
| Released | May 11, 2015 | |||
| Genre | Electronica, drone, neo-psychedelia, noise, post-rock | |||
| Length | 49:38 | |||
| Label | Sacred Bones Records | |||
| Blanck Mass chronology | ||||
| ||||
Dumb Flesh is the third studio album by the English experimental musician Blanck Mass, released on May 11, 2015.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Consequence of Sound | B[3] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10[4] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[5] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.6/10[6] |
| PopMatters | [7] |
| Resident Advisor | 3.6/5[8] |
| The New York Times | positive[9] |
| The Quietus | positive[10] |
| musicOMH |  [11] |
Dumb Flesh was met with positive critical reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream critics, the album has received a metascore of 77, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[1]
AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares awarded the album four out of five stars and observed that:"loaded with undeniable hooks and beats, the album is "dumb" in the best way possible, and embraces the "flesh" part of its title by making bodies move. It's far more dancefloor-oriented than any of Power's [Benjamin John Power] work with either of his projects, and more interesting than a none-more-black exploration of physical frailty."[2] Nina Corcoran, writing for Consequence of Sound:"The album is vivid between shadows, pulsing with the diseased blood of a body slowly losing its motivation to carry on. Had Power pushed himself to soundtrack this deconstruction through the minimalist nature of his quiet work, though, Dumb Flesh could have been fully realized."[3] Tristan Bath from Drowned in Sound opined that it was:"This is beautiful, disgusting, danceable, and nightmarish music. It allures and repels in equal measure, bursting with thoughtful concepts and successful experiments in sculpting electronic noises into something danceable, melodic and meaningful."[4] Pitchfork critic Nathan Reese observed that:"Fuck Buttons may be unlikely stars, but their music's pure momentum almost guaranteed its audience by force alone. Like Power's best work, Dumb Flesh moves you when it literally moves you."[6] Ian King, writing for PopMatters, rated the album eight stars out of ten and described it as:"Powers puts the body at the forefront of his audience’s mind is by suggesting that they move it. In a U-turn from the cerebral escape of Blanck Mass, Dumb Flesh stretches tautly over gnarled techno bones."[7] Exclaim! reviewer Daniel Sylvester, who scored the album eight out of ten, opined that it was:"As one half of electronic psych drone purveyors Fuck Buttons, Power originally created Blanck Mass to explore beatless and formless ambient music. With the release of his follow-up, Dumb Flesh, Power abandons this singular musical mode, bringing with him myriad recording styles and techniques."[5]
Ben Ratliff from The New York Times commented that:"he’s giving you something you might find familiar or even commercial by its basic outlines. But he’s still got ways to make it uncanny: close, loud and abrupt."[9] The Quietus reviewer James Ubaghs observed that:"A reoccurring feature is the way that vocal samples frequently sound like synths, and synths sound almost like vocals, on the verge of attaining sentience. It's like the music itself is becoming alive; digital detritus playfully beckoning you to new horizons."[10] Sam Shepherd, in his review for musicOMH commented:"There are some fine moments here, but all too often Dumb Flesh seems like a diluted version of Fuck Buttons. That’s not to say that this is a poor record, far from it. But, good though it is, it feels like a missed opportunity to establish Blanck Mass’ individuality."[11]
Track listing
All tracks written by John Power.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Loam" | 4:06 |
| 2. | "Dead Format" | 6:15 |
| 3. | "No Lite" | 9:56 |
| 4. | "Atrophies" | 5:07 |
| 5. | "Cruel Sport" | 8:42 |
| 6. | "Double Cross" | 5:37 |
| 7. | "Lung" | 5:27 |
| 8. | "Detritus" | 8:13 |
| Vinyl bonus track | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 9. | "Life Science (Ambient Suite)" | 17:02 |
References
- 1 2 "Critic Reviews for Dumb Flesh by Blanck Mass". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 Heather Phares. "Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 Nina Corcoran (May 5, 2015). "Blanck Mass – Dumb Flesh". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 Tristan Bath (May 8, 2015). "Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 Daniel Sylvester (May 8, 2015). "Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh". Exclaim!. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 Nathan Reese (May 13, 2015). "Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 Ian King (May 12, 2015). "Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh". PopMatters. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ↑ Tony Naylor (May 21, 2015). "Blanck Mass - Dumb Flesh". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 Ben Ratliff (May 11, 2015). "Review: 'Dumb Flesh,' From Blanck Mass". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 James Ubaghs (May 21, 2015). "Blanck Mass - DUMB FLESH". The Quietus. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- 1 2 Sam Shepherd (May 11, 2015). "Blanck Mass – Dumb Flesh". musicOMH. Retrieved 28 November 2016.