Melbourne’s Blackchords shine with a finely cultivated debut album
It’s been a long time coming… almost three years to be precise, but Melbourne’s Blackchords are finally ready to release their much-anticipated self titled debut album. And it is certainly worth the wait!
Having spent most of the last year soaking up a bit of Parisian bohemia, frontman Nick Milwright has returned to hometown Melbourne for the launch of Blackchords, out on Dust Devil Music April 18, and is taking his carefully cultivated pearl of an album on the road with shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, and a couple of regional dates in between.
As Milwright notes, the songs that comprise this record have been waiting for their chance to shine for some time now. “I always felt bad that there are these songs that I’ve written and played in the past that have now just disappeared from existence cause I was never able to capture them on a record,” he explains. “So finally being able to record is almost like a spring clean. I’ve recorded them now and I can move on. I’m free to start working on new ideas with the knowledge that I’m not going to forget or lose these old ones cause they’ve finally been captured!”
Not that anyone would want to move on from these songs, that capitalise on everything Blackchords have come to stand for: emotional and lyrical depth, a widescreen sense of melody and drama, and stunning arrangements.
With echoes of early Radiohead, Coldplay and Jeff Buckley, Blackchords have managed to create in this album something wholly new of the musical touchstones and hallmarks that Milwright and his bandmates have soaked up through a life spent poring over everything music has to offer. Far from wearing their influences on their sleeves, Blackchords melt them down into a well of surprisingly deep, emotional melody.
So, now that Blackchords is complete and ready to be set free, what does the future hold for Blackchords? Milwright’s response is atypically modest. “We’re just eager to get out there and push it as far as it can go. Blackchords just ultimately want to make music for the rest of our lives and get better and better as musicians. So if we can do that we’ll be very happy.”
If Blackchords is anything to go by, they won’t be the only happy ones.
To see for yourself, be sure to catch Blackchords when they play the following dates and venues:
FEB 09
Thurs Feb 26 The Retreat, Brunswick, Vic (supporting The Frowning Clouds)
MARCH 09
Sun March 1 The Wesley Anne, Northcote, Vic (Bushfire Benefit)
Thurs March 5 The Old Bar, Fitzroy, Vic
Thurs March 12 The National Hotel, Geelong, Vic
Fri March 13 The Gearin, Blue Mountains, NSW
Sun March 15 The Factory Theatre, Sydney, NSW (supporting The Church)
Thurs March 20 Bar 303, Northcote, Vic
APRIL 09
Sat April 11 The Crown & Anchor Hotel, Adelaide, SA
Sun April 12 Live At The Zoo Festival, Monarto Zoo, Adelaide, SA
Fri April 24 The Gershwin Room @ The Espy, VIC
Blackchords self titled debut album out April 18 through Dust Devil Music
www.blackchords.com www.myspace.com/blackchords
