Pinkish Black – Concept Unification


I basically came out of the womb listening to music. I was lucky enough to be one of those children that grew up being exposed to a multifaceted plethora of music genres. Today, when I started listening to the new album by Pinkish Black, Concept Unification (Relapse Records), I was caught up in a wave a delightful nostalgia. The music flooding my ear holes, created by the Fort Worth Texas duo of Jon Teaque and Daron Beck eerily reminded me of the solo work of one of my favorite bassist of all time, John Entwisle. Entwisle did an album in 1972, titled Whistle Rymes (MCA Records), that I feel the new Pinkish Black album echo’s. What am I trying to say here? I am saying that Concept Unification is fervently grandiose.

The title track, ‘Concept Unification’, is a tricky little minx. I had to check my laptop to make sure I had not accidentally opened the wrong playlist and inadvertently was listening to Gregorian Chants, greatest hits album. I write that with the utmost respect. I became smitten with Pinkish Black, just from this track due to it’s swirling backdrop of electronic melodies being pierced by phantom-like vocals.

The second track, ‘Until’ has a funky-pop feel while the third track,’Dial Tone’ is dreamily doomful. ‘Petit Mal’, the fourth track has a futuristic vibe that almost traps you in an outer space-like bubble from first to last note.

‘Inanamatronic,’ track five, is an infinite black hole of electronic produced notes that somehow unify creating a soul inhabiting little monster that does not dissipate.

Track six, ‘Next Solution’ is one of the Entwistle-esque tracks I eluded to in my intro. I am absolutely in love with the structure of this song. The Intro features stripped down vocals, accompanied by a melancholy piano part that bleeds into a techno-industrial feel-o-rama.

For you digital purchasers, there are two bonus tracks, ‘Away Again’ and ‘We Wait’. Let me just school you for a moment: get the digital version. Real talk here folks, you are not going to want to miss either of the bonus tracks, especially ‘We Wait’. The track is everything morbid, dark and depraved my dead little heart has ever wanted. This song is gloriously crafted so that the listener can create their own idea of what the song is trying to convey. A pulsating aggro-industrial beat welcomes the listener in, then pushes them over a cliff into a free fall of reverb and anger.

Frankly, I really don’t care what musical genre a person states is their favorite. I believe that this new album by Pinkish Black will appeal to almost every musical pallet. I was asked by a friend what genre I would say Pinkish Black would be described as I simply answered “badass”. Yes, in the world of the Skullgurl, badass is a musical genre, because in my world, talent is talent and Pinkish Black personifies talent.

7 /10

SKULLGURL METALCHICK