The Black Dog: Silenced (Dust)



The Black Dog used to be three. Then two went to the land of Plaid and one remained to fight dull music industry meetings. More industry and less music. But time has proved kind to this canine and now, back with three members, they give us 'Silenced'.

The same motifs that made earlier works so enthralling are all there. Mystic nods to eastern musics, a compressed sound that evokes sparse dub and an almost live / loose feel to sequences. It's ambient, sure, but you cant use it as aural wallpaper. The opening hip-hop limp of 'Trojan Horus', 'Alt/Return/Dash/Kill's gentle Orbital homage, the filmic acid of 'Remote Viewing'.

To cheekily quote from a review of their classic Bytes. There are no hits, but then no misses either. It proves you don't have to be Eno-loving dullard to enjoy ambient music.