LimeWire Music Blog

Deep in the heart of New York’s post-punk underbelly lies a beast that’s about to make its presence known. After lots of buzz, prominent gigs, and a handful of previously released tracks, Blacklist’s blend of post-punk and shimmering coldwave comes to fruition in Midnight of the Century, their new full-length album out today on Wierd Records.

Throughout the course of 11 tracks, Midnight of the Century both aims to please loyal fans as well as win a new drove of devotees. The record’s production, a departure from their more rough and tumble beginnings, may come as some a bit of a surprise to the first flock of fans, but the glossy edge and tasteful use of soaring keyboard lines only adds to the band’s majesty and power, catapulting each track to the anthemic heights not seen since U2’s early heyday.

Each track boils with the seeds of political unrest, reaching far outside the inner emotional turmoil of most of their influences and contemporaries. Meanwhile, the songs themselves are a current and refreshing blend of effects-laden guitars, thundering drums, and anchor-heavy bass. Sure, Blacklist’s influences, including the likes of For Against, Sisters of Mercy, and the aforementioned classic period of U2, may be easy to pick out. However, very little about this record is nostalgic and draws from current soundscape and subject matter.

Fans of Blacklist will rejoice at the inclusion of several of the band’s live favorites. Midnight of the Century begins with “Still Changes,” a particularly gripping track that sets the stage both musically and lyrically for the tracks to follow. Other familiar numbers, including a re-recorded version of “Shock in the Hotel Falcon,” “Poison for Tomorrow” (once known in the live circuit as “Leaving Nostalgia”), and “Julie Speaks,” comprise the more recognizable half of the record. One would also be careful not to neglect “Language of the Living Dead,” one of the band’s earlier gems, which appears in its original snarling form with a slightly tweaked mix.

The real standouts are the newer numbers, which offer a fresh take on the band’s sound in both style and substance. The heavily-effected electric guitars are pleasantly offset by the acoustic drive of “Odessa,” which appears early on. Meanwhile, the band has saved the best songs for the end of the record. These moments are easily the band’s best, beginning with the moody call-and response number “Frontiers,” which blends seamlessly into the album’s most experimental and free-falling track, “The Cunning of History,” a song filled with heavy organic atmosphere and evocative imagery. Soon after the track’s whispering conclusion begins one of Blacklist’s live staples, the hauntingly catchy “When Worlds Collide.” With an unstoppable chorus and powerful sense of finality, it’s surprising that it stands as the album’s penultimate track. Fortunately, the proper conclusion to Midnight of the Century, “The Believer,” is just as compelling as the preceding track, with prominent strings backing up an already beautiful arrangement. One might consider it a post-punk take on a classic-rock number, as the acoustics strike some familiar sonic ground with the dark, introspective side of Fleetwood Mac, a truly winning combination that concludes the album with irrevocable finesse.

As one of the aforementioned followers of the band’s prowess, it’s been an excruciatingly long wait for this album. But Midnight of the Century more than makes up for its delays in both scope and execution and will certainly cement Blacklist in a league both in and above their peers.  Not convinced?  Visit the band’s website to download the record’s lead-off single, the cunning and hook-driven “Flight of the Demoiselles.”