Black Light Spiral is the debut album from Jack Dunning, aka Untold, released on his own label Hemlock records.

Black Light Spiral
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 2014
LabelHemlock Records

Composition

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Black Light Spiral is an unconventional record compositionally focused more on harsh horror atmospheres than consistent dance rhythms, summarized Larry Fitzmaurice: "the rhythms are wrapped in spikes, the melodies are built out of transistor-radio noise and abused vocal samples, and the empty space surrounding everything possesses a seasick unsteadiness."[1] Crack Magazine described the entire LP as "one amorphous blur of mescaline loops and decayed rhythms, held together by the restless ghost of the UK's illustrious rave past."[1]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Crack Magazine18/20[2]
Fact4/5[3]
Pitchfork7.6/10[1]
Resident Advisor4/5[4]
Spin9/10[5]
XLR8R8/10[6]

Crack Magazine praised Black Light Spiral for continuing Untold's "alchemic ability to distill storied influences into something that sounds like nothing you've ever heard before is still unparalleled."[2] On the other hand, Fitzmaurice, while appreciating it as "a beguiling artistic statement of an album in a genre where finding success in the LP format isn't always a given," felt its abstractness may turn off fans of previous Untold material that had more "directly engaging qualities."[1] Resident Advisor reviewer Andrew Ryce concluded that "the best aspect of the album is also the worst: it's alienating in way that might actually alienate you, and keep you from revisiting."[4]

Track listing

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  1. 5 Wheels
  2. Drop It On the One
  3. Sing a Love Song
  4. Doubles
  5. Wet Wool
  6. Strange Dreams
  7. Hobthrust
  8. Ion

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Fitzmaurice, Larry (20 February 2014). "Untold: Black Light Spiral". Pitchfork. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Albums". Crack Magazine. 6 March 2014. p. 55. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  3. ^ Finlayson, Angus (20 February 2014). "Black Light Spiral". Fact. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  4. ^ a b Ryce, Andrew (7 March 2014). "Untold – Black Light Spiral". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  5. ^ Sherburne, Philip (14 February 2014). "Untold's Deathly Drops, Optimo's Spacey Blues, and 10 More New Dance LP's in Control Voltage". Spin. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
  6. ^ Jackson, Glenn (25 February 2014). "Black Light Spiral". XLR8R. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2014.