By Keith Walsh
Blaklight’s daring new album, tHE pADDED rOOM, was originally planned as an all -instrumental set, but as Adam Collier and Brian Belknap explain in our interview (published on synthbeat.com), things went in a different direction. With Belknap’s occasional vocals, tHE pADDED rOOM presents an even darker side than what this prolific California-based synthpop duo is known for. (My Q and A with Collier and Belknap is at synthbeat.com)

Collier tells me he continues to use Logic Pro X as his DAW and the satisfying exploration of his soft synths (VSTs). Belknap says he was inspired by Collier’s music, improvising vocals on the spot, and often rerecording the wordless improvisations in a more polished form. Collier was planning to include only a few vocal loops, but after Belknap sent some of his vocal ideas, the two excitedly agreed to expand the inclusion of vocals on the album.

I hear vibes of Nine Inch Nails, and some of the 80s work of Peter Gabriel here (most notably, the Security album, or Peter Gabriel 3). Collier dives into some new sounds, right from the start, with the first track “This Is The Place” featuring what sounds like a sampled metallic percussion sound. The synths all around feature more ominous textures and melodies, and the song structures as well have a darker emotional impact than the pop song format found on previous Blaklight albums. “Craving” features Belknap’s vocals, coming in after two minutes, in a departure from the pop format that marks the album. Still, as the song progresses, there’s Depeche Mode vibes. “Redefine” is dark techno with a ballad tempo. “Devour” is in the same key of D minor, and indeed the tunes on tHE pADDED rOOM have a continuity and flow in this way. Belknap’s use of wordless vocals here is quite effective.

Belknap tells me that he dipped into the feel of Bowie’s Low album, and I definitely hear it on “Alone Again.” Collier and Belknap also confirmed that they are fans of Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails and Peter Gabriel as well, in our interview, which you can read at popular culture beat dot com. “Breathe” has a weirdly-phrased theme of solidarity that’s haunting and ethereal, with cool processed background vocals.

“Sorrow” is a ambient sounding piece that brings a sound reminiscent Brian Eno (Music For Airports) with softly overlapping synth strings, and Belknap’s vocals coming in wordlessly. “Fall Away From Me” only has two four-word phrases, used to great effect. In addition to Belknap’s vocals, I especially love the pulsing electronic percussion (sounds like a cowbell) the blips, and the groovy bassline. “Curtain Call” adds a theatrical theme to the album, which Collier tells me is a very personal set. It’s always showtime, here at the edge of the stage.

Most of the songs on tHE pADDED rOOM over five minutes long, in fact five of the tracks are over six minutes long. Yet despite the dark subject matter, these lengthy compositions have an energizing effect, with their dramatic, cathartic arc playing out. In our interview, Collier tells me that composing outside of the pop format gave him a different kind of freedom, with the sounds dictating how long the song was. “Each song is a mantra,” he told me.

In addition to being incredible musicians, Collier, Belknap (and Omar Quiñones of Vain Machine, who joins them for live shows) are awesome humans. A portion of proceeds from physical CDS (get it at Bandcamp) is donated to The Trevor Project, in support of LGBTQIA+ and suicide prevention.

Blaklight Links
‘tHE pADDED rOOM’ Q and A at Synthbeat.com
Vain Machine On Bandcamp

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