Review: The Black Delta Movement's Preservation

Check out our review of Hull's finest issue fresh manifesto!

The Black Delta Movement are not to be confused with Big Black Delta, who in turn mustn’t be confused with Big Black who… I could go on but won’t. The Hull quartet have been rapidly garnering music industry attention: their grizzled garage-psych mix is BBC 6 Music approved (whatever that means), and they’ve attracted celebrity endorsements from, amongst others, Alan McGee and Anton Newcombe. After releasing a handful of singles, they are now poised to unleash a beast in the form of debut album Preservation.

Inspired by the likes of The 13th Floor Elevators, Black Angels and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the ingredients may not be the freshest, but the recipe is tried, tested and true. There are also a host of other influences peeking through the frazzled and frayed curtain of sound. ‘Hunting Ground’ with its choppy tremeloed intro is so reminiscent of the start of ‘How Soon Is Now?’, it would be no surprise to hear the slicing slide guitar that distinguishes that track.
At times the vocals are evocative of The Stone Roses and The Verve – an impression compounded on ‘Hot Coals’, which puts meat on the bones of an anorexic ’Sally Cinnamon’. ‘King Mosquito’ unleashes a swarm of rapier-slash shards of noise, ultimately sounding not unlike the insect of its title.

Black Delta Movement’s debut, while rough around the edges, has enough youthful energy to carry it. Indeed, it manages the difficult trick of sounding varied while simultaneously setting out a compelling and confident manifesto.

7/10 Stars

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