Black Moth Super Rainbow - Dandelion Gum

Fitting cover art for what can be described as trippy folk electonrica. Dandelion Gum was released in 2007, Black Moth Super Rainbow's third full album at the time with a couple of EPs as well. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania band combine drums, bass/guitar, analog electric instruments, vocoder vocals to create their niche sound. Their music is full of beautiful melodies, both soft and exploratory. The songs are relatively short in length, usually under three minutes, but number 17 total on the album. I've seen them perform once here in Cleveland last year, and their live show is pretty good, due in part to the use of video and creation of a fitting aural atmosphere through the lighting. In fact, Eric Wareheim of Tim and Eric, did this funny little intro video before the band came on (well following the Juggalo intro that is), so apparently he's a fan. As an album Dandelion Gum packs plenty of good songs within, though maybe a few too many songs in total. The run length is about 46 minutes, so nothing above what an average recording length tends to be.


Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Melt Me"

This is the song that introduced me to Black Moth Super Rainbow, as I first heard it on last.fm, and had it really catch my attention. The bass and percussion set a perfect groove, with vocoder riding above it. Eerie electronic screeches lead into synth/keyboards that build on the main rhythm of the bass and drums. The band's song structures remain fairly simple throughout the album, as this song attests. Each song is typically built of a few parts, some repetition, and thats about it. This helps keep song length manageable, and avoids becoming too bored or lost in what is already a distinct sound.


Black Moth Super Rainbow - "They Live in the Meadow"

More of a drum 'n bass feel at first, with some manipulation reversing the percussion track. Simple vocals are repeated. The keyboard/synth produce a running melody that carriers the song. Added synth/electronics appear in replace of a chorus (a trend in their songwriting) and provides a nice break between the vocal passages.

The band appears to be really catching on in the past few years, playing SXSW, and touring with The Flaming Lips a couple years ago. The songs on this album are very much within the realm of these two songs presented here, so you get an idea of what to expect, but to be sure, there is enough good riff writing to keep things interesting and as I said above there are more than a few solid gems within the bunch. You can find this album and their other releases here at their website store.