Exhibit B:
"So go to bed, girl, feel what it's like to be alone." - "Song Without You"

You get the picture, I think. I mean, the music is beautiful, yeah, and that could be the albums main selling point, if the beauty wasn't just so melancholy that the songs almost become crushed under the weight of their own despair. And this isn't always the melancholy that you can drown your sorrows in either. The Black Swans aren't here to embrace you and give you a shoulder to cry on, no fucking way. "Song Without You" begins with some tender acoustic moments, which are brought to a nervous halt with a crashing guitar chord. The droning violin in the background certainly doesn't help the tension of the song. This is not music to listen to crying yourself to sleep after a few beers, because these guys will almost undoubtedly kill your buzz. Although their music often feels very traditional in it's country roots, they have a tendency to be far more tense and confrontational than most artists playing in a similar idiom. This is real dark stuff, folks.

The Black Swans certainly have the potential to go somewhere. I don't expect to hear them on the radio or MTV anytime soon, because frankly I don't think there is a big enough audience for these guys. They're great, sure, but they're just so damn depressing. I've listened to this album so many times preparing for this review, and I have absolutely grown to love it. The songs are beautiful, and DeCicca's voice, which I was initially turned off by, really has a beauty and intimacy that many artists lack. Despite the beauty of the songs though, there are still hordes of music fans, many people whose opinions I regard rather highly, in fact, who would never subject themselves to a set this downright gloomy (and I can't say I blame them). I hate to say it, but I think this band will most likely fall under the radar and end up being sorely underrated in the annals of modern music as is the fate of most good music these days. Perhaps if the Black Swans could take a hint from fellow Prozac poster boys Elliott Smith and Morrissey and learn that depressing music doesn't always have to sound so damn depressing they may have a shot at being Really Fucking Great. Even so, I'll certainly be standing in line for their next release, even if they're just going to crush my little heart over and over again.

You can order the record (and I suggest you do!) from Delmore Recordings.