“Hogwash and Balderdash” is a new cut from Black Midi’s recently released sophomore record, Cavalcade. This new record from the British experimental rock group is one of those rare “mind blowing” moments you occasionally get in music. Their blend of noise, prog and math rock in their 2019 debut was compelling enough, but their new record’s nightmarish incorporation of jazz rhythms and avant-garde composition take things to some wonderful extremes.
“Hogwash and Balderdash” is not a single, but it sure as hell could be. At a mere 2 minutes and 32 seconds, it compresses everything that makes Black Midi so interesting into a tiny package. It’s based around a sinister looping guitar riff with some truly scary hits of what can only be described as screaming horns.
Like the rest of Cavalcade, it also takes time to break things down to give you a little break from just how incredibly aggressive this track is, with a quiet 6/8 section that just lets all the tension rebuild. Despite all of the aggression and noise, there is just a hint of playfulness in this performance due to how cartoonishly lush the instrumentation is. Black Midi wants to make music that sounds hair-raising, but they’re doing it with a wink and a nod.
With Cavalcade, Black Midi pushes their art form into new territory, and shows that there is still new ground to be covered in rock music.
Amped! 