Peaceful as Hell, Black Dresses
2024-02-08
This is a rerun for me, and also another recommendation. I listened to this album constantly last year, I think around April, so I associate it with walking around in Finals Anguish - but I don't find that association particularly negative! It mostly feels introspective to me. I also first heard it I think either right before or after I watched Amadeus, so I associate it with that too (?????)
Anyway, this was my proper introduction to Black Dresses. I love it very much, largely because I really like talking about hell and the devil and whatnot, and because the instrumentals and pacing feel emotionally perfect to me. I prefer to interpret the recurring talk of hope as part of a narrative rather than didactic, both because it makes more sense (with the repetition and also the explicit reference to that repetition, it's a story about rumination and persistence) and because I hate didacticism. Don't tell me what to do.
So. Yeah. The vocals are good but the instrumentals/mixing are even better.. I like the little dip into rock in IM A FREAK CUZ IM ALWAYS FREAKED OUT. The riff (is that what that's called? I'm amazingly ignorant) in EXPRESS YOURSELF is obviously delicious. When I first listened to this album my favorite song was BLISS AND STUPIDITY because of the subject matter - it's like a more suicidal version of Kate Bush's Sat In Your Lap. I would imagine smoking a joint with Salieri (from Amadeus, as mentioned) in my dorm room and playing this for him, which would send him into a fit of rage at my patronizing attempts to relate to or possibly comfort him. I'm actually still so sad that this isn't possible. It's hard to choose a favorite right now, but I think MiRRORGiRL and EXPRESS YOURSELF are up there.
----------------P.S. Pretty sure I had a dream about looking at Salieri/Mozart yaoi last night but I remembered it after I listened to this album this morning so yeah. Like. 80% sure this is why this happened, sorry everyone.