Black Dog, The ‎– Radio Scarecrow

Over-long with too many tracks that loose steam from track 11 onwards. A album with fairly early 90's techno-ambient-Idm with electronica sound, esp from tracks 1 to 10. The first 10 tracks are the more interesting sounds with it's early Black Dog musical influences, esp from Bytes, all though nothing compared to the music genius as on Spanners or various Plaid(aka Repeat) albums. I found most tracks in the 1st half (1-10) sounded much like the early 90's style of monotone sound with its Idm and Techno - and maybe! just sounded a bit dated in places!. The 2nd half(11-17) starts to slow things down towards a colder and a darker approach using a minimalistic approach with a more ambient & soundscapes directioon with elements of stripped down electronica, though they do have a more repetitive feel compared to tracks from 1 to 10. Tracks from 13 to 17 can also start to feel more like quick fillers, rather then full tracks due to considerably shorter track lengths. They also just seem a lot less focused with only a few bland rhythms using a more drone orientated repetition, that never quiet peak or reach there potential compared to the 1st half of the album. It's only on the last 3 tracks, that are actually space fillers!, use a more classical approach bringing some interest back into the otherwise cold 2nd half - but they are some of the shortest tracks on the album that do come to a very quick end!...This is more of a album of two contraindicating sides! The 1st half: 1-10 with the more interesting sound with its techno and good use of rhythm and progression - even though it may sound a bit 90's in a dated way. The 2nd half: 11-17 is a much more colder and monotoned style with a metallic industrial ambient feel to it, which do feel less developed compared to tracks 1-10. Even the couple of more rhythmic sections that do occur in 2nd half end-up being nothing more then a repetitive, boring, and predictable loop that never really progress beyond its main loop...Personally I found the album too long, with too many tracks that start to loose momentum, esp from trk 11 onwards as they never really pick up when you hope for more of the 1st half to expand and progress into the 2nd half from tracks 11 and beyond. A album that's not (The)Black Dog's best, just too much of an average listen across a cold monotone retro styled ambient/techno music which becomes less appealing from trk 11.

Geez, what a wonderful album. I didn't put much stock in the so-so review in The Wire. Of course they wouldn't gush since they usually give short shrift to most electronica anyway. The Black Dog's sound has changed quite a lot since Handley and Turner left so many years ago. The Dust boys have added new energy to Black Dog and they work brilliantly with Ken Downie. In many ways I like the new sound more than ground breaking Detroit techno of the early 90's because I can return to Radio Scarecrow and hear something after many listens. Radio Scarecrow is chock full of interesting sounds and melodic diversions and it is a coherent classic from start to finish. Since I got the CD from Martin Dust a few days ago, I have played it 6 times. That rarely happens for me as I am so far behind in listening at all times. Higly recommended!

The Black Dog come back with a certain nostalgia in Radio Scarecrow. The sounds used are reminiscent of their classic albums which gives Radio Scarecrow a retrospective feeling, in contrast to Silenced which introduced a different sound in the domain of Black Dog. This return to basics is most welcome for fans that have been following them since the beginning but perhaps brings the album out of context with contemporary music. A bold step that works quite well in its simplicity and directness presenting a stripped down Black Dog with no unnecessary bells and whistles. Definitely a refreshing new album that goes against the current of mediocrity of today's music.

Asking if The Black Dogs are still the Black Dogs after the Plaid affair is not a relevant question. Yes, they are different : less odd and strange, a bit less eclectic, mabe a bit more "techno"... Certainly.
But the real question is "are the nowaday Dogs still creative" ? And the answer is yes. Added to brilliant production skills, they do offers some excellent electronica, ranging from soft to uptempo, always interesting, soulfull, enjoyable and worth the listening.

Now, is this album more than a collection of nice ideas, more than a clever exposition of skills, yes, this maybe a more interesting question. Yes Dogs are still creative, as each song is interesting, offering a quality level often missing in most releases nowadays.

But, what are The Dogs aiming at, in term of musical experience ? It is difficult to answer.
Some tracks are more dark and rough-sounding than the usual doggish jewels ("Beep" is a good example of that, even if it is immediately softened by the following "Witches ov", superbly emotional. But then again, this later track is softer and more peacefull than the usual melodic tracks for the Dogs).

Of course, the educated listener may find this album less mind-blowing than the one that created the Black Dogs legend (Transparent balls, Parallel and Spanners).
But we are not in 1993. And, let's be clear : such a masterclass, sincere and enjoyable album is already more than welcome nowadays!

To put it simply this CD is amazing!!!
I can not find enough adjectives to fully describe how I feel about this album.I put it in to my cd player and listened from start to finish.
This album has all of the ingredients of a classic.From the gentle intro of Transmission Start,this album takes the listener on a journey of classic electronica which glides through many styles,from Ambient,Techno to a touch of classical,it`s all there.It's a very rewarding album....
A classic in the making....