Five years ago Blaqk Audio was born into a world that was used to Davey Havok and Jade Puget being the kings of the disturbed and dark scene of music. While AFI had lightened their sound from point A to point B, going from this misunderstood clash of angst to radio acceptable hits, no one expected to see half of the band branch out to do a dance record. It wasn’t Gaga dance, but it wasn’t what AFI fans were used to.
Blaqk Audio’s CexCells did well enough on the charts, reaching #1 on the dance chart, but when you look at the logistics, not all AFI fans jumped ship just because. Blaqk Audio has less than half the Facebook likes that AFI does as I type this, but with the popularity of EDM, who needs the kids in black to back Davey and Jade anymore? This time around with Bright Black Heaven, Blaqk Audio is bound to make fans that have never even heard or care to hear about AFI.
The apparent sound of Bright Black Heaven is that it’s clearly an 80’s New Wave sound brought into the year 2012 with an added element of darkness to it. This band has dance beats, but the lyrics aren’t about hitting up “da club” with friends and getting wasted. “Deconstructing Gods” shows that even though it’s dance music, it can still have a presence of credibility and thought out meaning. But on the opposite of the spectrum, “Fade to White” has dramatics and the energy to be paired with a RuPaul Drag Race catwalk.
Another aspect of the record was the Disney theme, more specifically, The Nightmare Before Christmas. “Say Red” signaled the start of the Disney parade, while “Bliss” had a dark holiday spirit to it. So those adults who praise Tim Burton’s Disney favorite and live in that mentality that their love lives are like Jack and Sally’s, are advised to take these two tracks on.
Jack Skellington in an 80’s dance club in a Cure tee, that’s Blaqk Audio’s Bright Black Heaven. It’s got those dance elements to it, but the AFI pair do stay true to their roots and don’t stray too far from their goth pasts and keep this record as manic as can be. If you like or liked AFI, there’s a 50/50 chance Blaqk Audio will be for you. Fans of Shiny Toy Guns and Depeche Mode are more likely to want to check out Bright Black Heaven when it drops September 11th.
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