CAVALCADE

OH BOY I HAVE BEEN WAITING TO REVIEW THIS! Ever since I reviewed Hellfire in 2022, I have been waiting patiently for the chance to look at the other two albums on black midi's studio catalog, and now that I will absolutely review more of them, I can now tell everyone about my favorite album of 2021, Cavalcade!

Cavalcade is where I believe the Windmill scene, as well as black midi as a whole, peaked. In a way, it perfectly encaptures the ideals and musical thoughts within the scene that started in The Windmill pub of Brixton. It is an eclectic mixture of brutally crazy avant-prog, dark and brooding post-punk, noisy jazz rock, and even some slices of post rock, just for good measure.

I think this mix is really where black midi shines, as no matter the song they end up always sounding so forward thinking, from the chaotic mess of John L, to the slow and methodical Diamond Stuff, I always feel so surprised with how they made this album the way they did. Every song exudes personality and character to the point where the songs themselves do not actually feel like music, but rather feel like people, and every strained sax playing is their conversation with me.

And by god do these songs TALK.

Admittedly though, if there is one thing that I dislike about the album is more so the fact that the first listen of it will always feel like a trip. This is obviously more of a mental thing, and clearly won't reflect in the final grade, but I honestly wish I could forget I ever listened to Cavalcade so I can listen to it freshly again, because the first time I listened to it was probably the craziest I have ever felt, even more so than all the other black midi releases.

I think I was in my junior year of high school when I first heard this album. I knew the song of John L first through Spotify, probably recommending the track, and I most certainly liked it. I figured the band would be like a modern day King Crimson. I was wrong, dead wrong. black midi is not even close to being a modern day King Crimson, they're their own beast. But I didn't realize this, and in that moment when I finally finished listening to Ascending Forth, it hit me like a brick on what black midi was.

Cavalcade's biggest strength and weakness is, if you've never heard of black midi before, or know very little of them, the album will hit you like a semi truck, and when it hit me, I grew to instantly love it. However, once you get familiar enough with black midi by listening to Schlagenheim and Hellfire, Cavalcade ends up having a softer blow. Still with immaculate music, but the feral beast had been considerably tamed.

It's like, say, a horror game that you love. At the first playthrough, you are tense, confused, shocked, and even maybe a little anxious by what could be around the corner. Could it be another monster? A healthpack? Maybe a puzzle? All three? The only way to know is to check.

But after a replay or two, that corner becomes very less scary because you know what's around it. You're more prepared and even feeling a little nostalgic when you were afraid. In a way, Cavalcade is a horror game, a really fun horror game, and like all horror games the fear of it wanes into nothing. But perhaps that's the point? After a while, an album can grow a little boring after so many listens, and one might need a bit of a break from it to truly appreciate it again. Cavalcade is an exception for me though, as while the impact it once had most certainly is gone, the love and level of fun music to be had on here just brings me back for more.

Perhaps Cavalcade hasn't changed since my first listen. A domesticated dog can still bite as hard as a wolf can.

Cavalcade really is just a special album. There is just something so satisfying about it that no other album has reached. It's music from an abnormal world, where notes are conscious and where sound has eyes and teeth, but no mouth. It's everything and nothing all at once, and for that, it's beautiful.

Best tracks: John L, Slow, Diamond Stuff, Dethroned, Ascending Forth

Worst track: N/A

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