These guys came into my restaurant in the middle of nowhere today and I got the vibe they were a band. I asked what they were up to and Morgan told me they were black midi. Nice work, guys, you have a new fan.
If all the songs on this new album are as weird and instrumentally dense as what we’ve heard so far, I’m willing to bet that it’ll be even better than Schlagenheim.
One thing I absolutely love about Black Midi is that even if they are incredibly unhinged and insane, they are also massively technical, precise and musical. Truly a unique sound
Why are there no comments explaining wtf is happening? Pause at 2:44. I think this tells us most of the exposition. That the cartoon world ("Jerkhead") and the video game-looking world ("Fantastic Knight XI") are both simulation worlds generated by humans using technology. The woman appears to be a designer of these worlds. 2:46 her cracking the egg is symbolism/foreshadowing for deciding to destroy the simulation worlds (the "lower worlds"). She clearly is the one that put into action the end of the world for the Jerkhead and Fantastic Knight lower worlds. Then we see that Earth is going to succumb to some hellish planet's arrival. I'm not sure why the woman runs to what looks like the middle of nowhere - I think perhaps she's just out of options and decides to run, in despair, toward the cataclysm. As she runs through town she passes graffiti displaying "The end of a higher world is the end of our world", which I'd argue is the entire message of the music video. The dramatic live action sequence shows the graphic death of the woman (not sure why she needed to be disemboweled or if that choice was purely stylistic) and the end of Earth. The end of the video (5:47): this is actually where the story starts. The cartoon hammers we see in the beginning and end turned out to have been Jerkhead destroying some important-looking egg-like object. I believe that object he destroyed contained the human universe somehow. I believe he's responsible for the end of Earth. The architecture in the room that houses that egg seems to have human imagery. It seems like Jerkhead's world is desolate and awful. Perhaps Jerkhead figured out that his world was a lower world and that the higher world (the human world) was completely responsible for the horrible world Jerkhead lives in. Figuring it all out, Jerkhead breaks into the sanctuary and destroys the egg-like artifact. He escapes and is chased by authorities, which is where the video then begins (0:00). I realize what I wrote here is a complete paradox, but it's all I've got. Is Earth/human world a simulation made from Jerkhead's world? Are both worlds simulated by each other, as impossible as that sounds? 0:35 the bird on Jerkhead's shoulder appears to represent the live action woman? Jerkhead then transforms into some red devil-looking form, but then sees the hellish planet and spontaneously rips apart and dies? EDIT: 2:52 is important! The woman actually sees Jerkhead running with the hammer. Coupled with the fact that she's looking at a calendar as Cam sings "how much longer" makes me think that the woman KNOWS what Jerkhead has just done and why he's running. She knows that Jerkhead just set into action the end of Earth world. I get the vibe that the woman was trying to save Earth through programming somehow. Maybe she was trying to reverse time in the simulation and prevent Jerkhead from destroying the egg-like object (Earth). I think it's possible that the woman ended the simulations simply out of retribution against Jerkhead for sealing Earth's fate. My interpretation of the Hell planet is that it's something we can't understand as it's a higher world. The end of a higher world is the end of our world. Since this singularity/hell planet is ending, so too are all of the simulations/lower worlds under it. Literally pulling this out of my ass at this point. I think this entire video is phenomenal. What I love most about it is that every frame means something and is part of the story. There's so much detail but it's all important. I had to post some of my rantings because I'm really not seeing any in-depth comments about the story. I need answers dammit even if it means making a fool out of myself in the TH-cam comments section.
this makes sense. Jerkhead smashes the human world, and as we see in the grafitti 'the end of a higher world is the end of our world' the hellish planet becomes reality in jerkhead's world, (because he destroyed a higher world and therefore his owp) and he sees it and rips apart. Maybe the destruction of the higher world was not to destroy his creators, but as a way to end the world that he lives in. One thing i'm not sure about is what 4:08 to 5:28 means. What is that black thing, and the white thing in space? and what is the significance of the knight character? (probably nothing. maybe this entire video has no meaning and is just being overanalysed)
@@crognolius460 Yeah those parts are the most baffling to me too. At 2:44 the poster for Fantastic Knight I can make out says "Search for the Singularity". Now that could just be a cool title given to that world/game. Or maybe that knight simulation is literally a program being designed to search for the singularity (the hellish planet may be the singularity). It does look like it's the most relevant simulation since it's the one the lady is working on.
@@mattdrummond3552 that makes sense as well. One thing i keep noticing is the imagery that links to the black being near the end. The building at 0:28 slightly resembles it, you can see it in the background at 1:50 on a screen. The spikes that are on the 4 corners of the hellish planet can also be seen on areas of jerkhead at 0:36 and the hellish planet in jerkhead at 0:43 has the same spikes, meaning it's the same planet. No clue what it means if it even means anything.
@@crognolius460 right, I noticed those weird similarities as well. I have no ideas either. But I wanted to mention that the 2:44 poster for Jerkhead says "and the Loophole of Causality". So what I think that title signifies is that the paradox I referred to earlier can exist. The paradox being that somehow Earthworld is a simulation of Jerkhead world and vice versa. At least that's how I would interpret a causality loophole. Also, if you pause at 5:26 you can see that what's being smashed is the Black Figure from what we think of as the hellish planet/singularity/highest world. So I guess my final theory is that Jerkhead smashed this glass orb thing that essentially destroys the entire universe. I have no idea why he would do it, perhaps all he knew was suffering/totalitarianism so just wanted to end it all. Edit: further theory: the woman controls Jerkhead. At 2:52, she is using the keyboard and the mousepad while Jerkhead runs from the authorities. She did create Jerkhead after all, so it's super plausible that she can control him too. Maybe the woman is actually the true antagonist of this story. Maybe she runs to the hellish planet/singularity out of pride of her accomplishment of causing the end of the universe. At 3:53 you can 100% see her smile at the oncoming Armageddon. She could be an antinatalist, anti-life type, or just a traditional brand of 'evil.' Her reaction to being cut in half also doesn't seem normal. She looks kind of casual about it. Also, isn’t the program that’s being run called “Deicide”? So that means killing Gods basically, right? So we can interpret that maybe her goal is to destroy the higher worlds. None of this is proof of my theory, but just a few little details that are odd.
@@mattdrummond3552 This makes a lot of sense. It also links back to the grafitti "the end of a higher world is the end of our world" Perhaps the orb with the symbol of the black being that Jerkhead destroys is a higher world above the human one, setting a domino effect into motion where we see the hellish planet in multiple worlds. The point you made on "deicide" makes me think that the black being is perhaps some sort of god. You see these white bird things with legs flying around it at 4:30, and it opens to reveal a much smaller version of the hellish planet. Perhaps it's a time loop like you originally said, where Jerkhead destroys the god/deity/black thing's world, so he releases the hellish planet things, which destroy the earth and the jerkhead worlds. This makes the breaking animation we see on screen near the end make some sort of sense. I think this point of the black thing being god makes sense, as you can see a bright light that it emerges from at 4:17 which the angel thing flies into. maybe the god things world isn't being destroyed, but it set into motion the destruction of the other worlds. I'm not fully sure. *EDIT: in this i mean that the AI deicide made by the woman is created to kill the god, and she runs to see the hellish planet destroy earth as a result of what she's done. Perhaps she's not an antagonist but a "hero" who thought that earth was a sacrifice to destroy a malevolent god.
@@fm.3549 cuz whos to judge wat is considered important if the band has had almost no legacy yet and no notable bands have mentioned them as influence. i mean its a good way to validate how someone feels about an artist and helps them get across how much they like said music, but the idea of other ppl knowing wat is and isnt important seems ridiculous unless they themselves r a musician that puts out their own material..
@@shrimpscampisanchez4252 you had me until the end. People who are not musicians can say things like these but the point is how well acquainted they are with the theme they're discussing. The issue rises when looking at YT comments where under any band of any genre you see stuff like "Why is this xy band so underrated?" to a point where the word underrated is diluted. This is similar to the comment above but I don't mind it as much. Granted I see where you're coming from and it's way too early to say anything but facts are, black midi are quite unique and represent the exciting underbelly of rock that so many people have been sleeping on for many years now. Honestly very glad midi broke through as they'll introduce more and more people to more unconventional stuff I myself have always been drawn to more.
From 3:24 onwards is pure brilliance. That instrumental build up with the sax, following with that "I guess I'll wait" refrain getting more and more intense is straight haunting.
@@albenizmorenoe7357 Seriously? Opposite for me. John L sounded a little too much like Schlagenheim. This one really got me excited, especially with the accompanying visuals.
@@underscorechaz Agreed, what sets Black midi apart in todays modern "prog" scene, is that they are actually progressive and innovative. I say this as a Opeth, TFK, Steven Wilson, Moon Safari fan, but BM just destroys these bands, what these guys have to offer is just waaay more interesting. I put these guys up there with bands like Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Gong and Magma. Kinda like a Cardiacs of current times, which is also awesome.
Greeps guitar solo on this track has haunted me every day since I first heard it a year ago. It is the perfect anti-solo. Would definitely get you kicked out of music school, but at the same time it's the most genius thing I've ever heard. It moves me every time. Something only Greep could pull off. It's also great that this song is played at Guitar Center so I get to hear Greep with the likes of Van Halen and Randy Rhodes.
Great solo indeed. But music schools being strictly about playing beautiful and theoretically streamlined stuff is a myth. Atonal guitar work has been appreciated by teachers and students alike for ages. You can hear similar guitar work in old prog and jazz stuff from the 60s and 70s. The Frank Zappa influence in this solo is very evident, and Zappa is an icon in the worldwide music school scene.
I thought you meant Birmingham UK and I was going to ask if you were referring to race riots? Like the Indians fighting Pakistanis. Then I thought "oh no maybe she means Alabama" and there could be some blm style race riots there too! Now I'm thinking you meant humidity.
@@rag4877 OK thank you, that comment really went over my head. I looked up the steaming rant and having been to Birmingham a few times I can sympathize with him although I did OK there.
@@WaldoWalker I dunno if I'd say matured. Speedway is purposefully minimal and simple because its about the linearity and repetitive nature of urban life. The new BM stuff is much more maximalist and uses more complicated structures. I think the message they're getting across is different rather than it being a case of maturing the sound. The sound was already mature, they're just experimenting with new ideas that require a different pallete Imo
@@harpist. I absolutely agree with you. But if I have to defend my point, I'd just say that the things they are making now are more planned out rather than improvised like Schlagenhiem. But yeah, the vibe of the music they are making now just seems to remind me a whole lot of old orchestra piece for some reason.
Their style on the last few tracks they've released to hype up Calvacade are somehow more mature yet more unhinged and chaotic than what was previously on Schlagenheim. Excitement is unreal for this album holy shit
Schlagenheim was mostly written around jam sessions. This stuff is way more structured. The chaotic sound that the improv brought to Schlagenheim was incredibly cool, it’s one of my favorite albums, but I feel like these guys are in a completely different dimension when they actually sit down and formally right stuff.
'If the core idea behind a band is to invite audiences into a world of thier own then Black Midi have given us a glimpse of an entire galaxy.' - John Clay
This is one of the few songs I've heard that feels like it's telling a story, not through the lyrics, but by how it moves, how it progresses. It's almost like there's a fully realized world and epic story in this song. It reminds me of the classical symphonies in that regard. I interpret it as the story of an apocalyptic-scale event, like a war or natural disaster (as in the video)
sometimes it feels like black midi made music just to help stimulate my adhd riddled brain. Every listen has something new to it, these guys are truly incredible at making music.
Convinced that this is exactly what dying is like I really like the imagery at 4:20. Really reminds me of Escher's Angels and Devils image. Roger Penrose used it as an analogy for his idea of how a multiverse might work even after the universe goes into heat death. Appropriate to the plot. This video feels like if you told an AI to do a Studio Ghibli short film in the style of Black Midi's album art
@@pb.disappeared Two different bands with similar influences but different musical goals. No point in comparing them. They're both good and by their own merits.
So I analysed this in class with a student, and it seems to me that the music video is about the death of an artist (in metaphorical terms, failure of an artist), she has two posters of the two cartoons at the start and it was made with the software she is using, both cartoons/anime "died" with the coming of the planet, so the planet represents apocalypse which here is symbolic for end, for terminate. In artist terms, it's a scraped project (this is accentuated with her not saving her project, which coincides with the planet arriving, you can see the planet arrives in the knight cartoon as well because of the shadow in the building, so in a sense, she willfully terminates her projects which is represented by the planet, to the point that the failures of her projects end her will to keep being an artist, which is also represented with the planet, in real life) it's the lack of inspiration, the frustration of trying to make art succesfully. The lyrics accentuate this as well: "Searching Still searching Slowly it falls and slowly it dies Slowly it crumbles right under my eyes And it takes so long" So when it comes to the artist you can see that she sees the news for the planet that is coming (again...apocalypse), on faux news, this is refering to the fact that it's fake, the planet is just symbolic for how she too will fade with the projects she scraped, self-doubt of her capacity as an artist makes her reconsider if this is something worth pursuing, and this is why she faces the same fate has her creations. The failure of her creations is the failure of herself as an artist. In the end we can see Jerkhead looking at the egg she broke, and I guess this can represent that even if the artist parts, the art lives on? the egg itself I haven't identified the symbology but it could be related to the planet, or it represents the connection she has with the art. Sorry, this was a bit flow of consciousness but I still wanted to share it.
interesting, initially i was convinced that the video was a representation of cycles of death in hierarchical planes, based in the phrase that shortly appears in the video "the end of a higher world is the end of our world" and the sequential transition of planes in 2d animation -> 3d -> creator -> meta creator (sort of biblical angel plane)
great stuff, made me understand things a little bit more. also what's up with the jerkhead's hammer scene both a the beginning and at the end? seems like he just broke the egg. I'm not sure if the scene where he's running away riding the motorcycle is actually set in the future, like after everything that's happened during the video he managed to revert fate and avoid the end of the world, surviving the creator's decision. edit: also Jerkhead looked a bit like Icarus before he died, as if he was trying to reach the sun.
Thanks for doing what you do. In my late 40s it is getting harder and harder to get as excited over new music as I did as a teen.....but y'all get me THAT excited.
IDKWTF this is, but I likey. Very refreshing. Sounds like nothing else before it. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite new bands. This is pure art.
0:58 Ah man they also got that damn shimmering on their graphics card. Once you see it, you can never unsee it. Been looking at many nvidia threads to sort this thing out. No luck yet.
These guys came into my restaurant in the middle of nowhere today and I got the vibe they were a band. I asked what they were up to and Morgan told me they were black midi. Nice work, guys, you have a new fan.
What did they order
Were they carrying a piano
@John Oowa What were they like? And what's your restaurant called?
That's kind of a weird response given the question
@@rays5163 I’m pretty sure we’re just getting a summary. You were expecting a full transcript?
This is by far my favorite Evangelion arc
yes
I don't want to hype any new albums, but this guys are giving me no choice.
If all the songs on this new album are as weird and instrumentally dense as what we’ve heard so far, I’m willing to bet that it’ll be even better than Schlagenheim.
Based on what they've been playing live and how these studio versions have turned out so far the album is basically guaranteed to be amazing
whats wrong with hype? its fun to hype up the things you enjoy
@@carstarsarstenstesenn the more u hype an album up, the higher the chance it wont live up to ur hype yk
@@raw8814 dont overthink it man. if you like something, feel free to give it hype. if it wasn't everything you thought it would be, then so be it
One thing I absolutely love about Black Midi is that even if they are incredibly unhinged and insane, they are also massively technical, precise and musical. Truly a unique sound
Reminds me a lot of early mastodon, technical and energy wise, black midi IS controlled chaos
yes
I think I'm losing aux cord privileges after this one but it will be worth it
Really? I don't see how anyone would not appreciate this track. So wonderfully layered
It’s actually probably one of their more accessible songs.
If you’re listening to this you likely already have strained aux cord privileges
Big relate.
Haha! Brilliant!
The “I guess I’ll wait” parts are so unbelievably beautiful
this music video is insane. genuinely one of the best I've ever seen.
Yeah it's so mind bending and meta, one of the wildest things I've ever seen
@@jermyhopkisn9654 its like an acid trip and a spiritual journey and a metaphysical suggestion
Biblical angel @ 4:30 🤯
Kendrick and bm, only the true tbe's have the true pinnacle music videos
@@TheDominicProject kendrick's TDE tho
Why are there no comments explaining wtf is happening? Pause at 2:44. I think this tells us most of the exposition. That the cartoon world ("Jerkhead") and the video game-looking world ("Fantastic Knight XI") are both simulation worlds generated by humans using technology. The woman appears to be a designer of these worlds. 2:46 her cracking the egg is symbolism/foreshadowing for deciding to destroy the simulation worlds (the "lower worlds"). She clearly is the one that put into action the end of the world for the Jerkhead and Fantastic Knight lower worlds. Then we see that Earth is going to succumb to some hellish planet's arrival. I'm not sure why the woman runs to what looks like the middle of nowhere - I think perhaps she's just out of options and decides to run, in despair, toward the cataclysm. As she runs through town she passes graffiti displaying "The end of a higher world is the end of our world", which I'd argue is the entire message of the music video. The dramatic live action sequence shows the graphic death of the woman (not sure why she needed to be disemboweled or if that choice was purely stylistic) and the end of Earth.
The end of the video (5:47): this is actually where the story starts. The cartoon hammers we see in the beginning and end turned out to have been Jerkhead destroying some important-looking egg-like object. I believe that object he destroyed contained the human universe somehow. I believe he's responsible for the end of Earth. The architecture in the room that houses that egg seems to have human imagery. It seems like Jerkhead's world is desolate and awful. Perhaps Jerkhead figured out that his world was a lower world and that the higher world (the human world) was completely responsible for the horrible world Jerkhead lives in. Figuring it all out, Jerkhead breaks into the sanctuary and destroys the egg-like artifact. He escapes and is chased by authorities, which is where the video then begins (0:00). I realize what I wrote here is a complete paradox, but it's all I've got. Is Earth/human world a simulation made from Jerkhead's world? Are both worlds simulated by each other, as impossible as that sounds?
0:35 the bird on Jerkhead's shoulder appears to represent the live action woman? Jerkhead then transforms into some red devil-looking form, but then sees the hellish planet and spontaneously rips apart and dies?
EDIT: 2:52 is important! The woman actually sees Jerkhead running with the hammer. Coupled with the fact that she's looking at a calendar as Cam sings "how much longer" makes me think that the woman KNOWS what Jerkhead has just done and why he's running. She knows that Jerkhead just set into action the end of Earth world. I get the vibe that the woman was trying to save Earth through programming somehow. Maybe she was trying to reverse time in the simulation and prevent Jerkhead from destroying the egg-like object (Earth). I think it's possible that the woman ended the simulations simply out of retribution against Jerkhead for sealing Earth's fate.
My interpretation of the Hell planet is that it's something we can't understand as it's a higher world. The end of a higher world is the end of our world. Since this singularity/hell planet is ending, so too are all of the simulations/lower worlds under it. Literally pulling this out of my ass at this point.
I think this entire video is phenomenal. What I love most about it is that every frame means something and is part of the story. There's so much detail but it's all important. I had to post some of my rantings because I'm really not seeing any in-depth comments about the story. I need answers dammit even if it means making a fool out of myself in the TH-cam comments section.
this makes sense. Jerkhead smashes the human world, and as we see in the grafitti 'the end of a higher world is the end of our world' the hellish planet becomes reality in jerkhead's world, (because he destroyed a higher world and therefore his owp) and he sees it and rips apart. Maybe the destruction of the higher world was not to destroy his creators, but as a way to end the world that he lives in. One thing i'm not sure about is what 4:08 to 5:28 means. What is that black thing, and the white thing in space? and what is the significance of the knight character? (probably nothing. maybe this entire video has no meaning and is just being overanalysed)
@@crognolius460 Yeah those parts are the most baffling to me too. At 2:44 the poster for Fantastic Knight I can make out says "Search for the Singularity". Now that could just be a cool title given to that world/game. Or maybe that knight simulation is literally a program being designed to search for the singularity (the hellish planet may be the singularity). It does look like it's the most relevant simulation since it's the one the lady is working on.
@@mattdrummond3552 that makes sense as well. One thing i keep noticing is the imagery that links to the black being near the end. The building at 0:28 slightly resembles it, you can see it in the background at 1:50 on a screen. The spikes that are on the 4 corners of the hellish planet can also be seen on areas of jerkhead at 0:36 and the hellish planet in jerkhead at 0:43 has the same spikes, meaning it's the same planet. No clue what it means if it even means anything.
@@crognolius460 right, I noticed those weird similarities as well. I have no ideas either. But I wanted to mention that the 2:44 poster for Jerkhead says "and the Loophole of Causality". So what I think that title signifies is that the paradox I referred to earlier can exist. The paradox being that somehow Earthworld is a simulation of Jerkhead world and vice versa. At least that's how I would interpret a causality loophole.
Also, if you pause at 5:26 you can see that what's being smashed is the Black Figure from what we think of as the hellish planet/singularity/highest world. So I guess my final theory is that Jerkhead smashed this glass orb thing that essentially destroys the entire universe. I have no idea why he would do it, perhaps all he knew was suffering/totalitarianism so just wanted to end it all.
Edit: further theory: the woman controls Jerkhead. At 2:52, she is using the keyboard and the mousepad while Jerkhead runs from the authorities. She did create Jerkhead after all, so it's super plausible that she can control him too. Maybe the woman is actually the true antagonist of this story. Maybe she runs to the hellish planet/singularity out of pride of her accomplishment of causing the end of the universe. At 3:53 you can 100% see her smile at the oncoming Armageddon. She could be an antinatalist, anti-life type, or just a traditional brand of 'evil.' Her reaction to being cut in half also doesn't seem normal. She looks kind of casual about it. Also, isn’t the program that’s being run called “Deicide”? So that means killing Gods basically, right? So we can interpret that maybe her goal is to destroy the higher worlds. None of this is proof of my theory, but just a few little details that are odd.
@@mattdrummond3552 This makes a lot of sense. It also links back to the grafitti "the end of a higher world is the end of our world" Perhaps the orb with the symbol of the black being that Jerkhead destroys is a higher world above the human one, setting a domino effect into motion where we see the hellish planet in multiple worlds.
The point you made on "deicide" makes me think that the black being is perhaps some sort of god. You see these white bird things with legs flying around it at 4:30, and it opens to reveal a much smaller version of the hellish planet. Perhaps it's a time loop like you originally said, where Jerkhead destroys the god/deity/black thing's world, so he releases the hellish planet things, which destroy the earth and the jerkhead worlds. This makes the breaking animation we see on screen near the end make some sort of sense.
I think this point of the black thing being god makes sense, as you can see a bright light that it emerges from at 4:17 which the angel thing flies into.
maybe the god things world isn't being destroyed, but it set into motion the destruction of the other worlds. I'm not fully sure.
*EDIT: in this i mean that the AI deicide made by the woman is created to kill the god, and she runs to see the hellish planet destroy earth as a result of what she's done. Perhaps she's not an antagonist but a "hero" who thought that earth was a sacrifice to destroy a malevolent god.
me 1 minute into the video thinking "big blender vibes" and out of nowhere the blender interface appears. we are a cult god dammit.
wtf i just saw that too
Bruh thought that soon as I saw what looked like the mixamo walking animations.
Death grips did it first
One of the most important bands of this decade.
What a weird thing to say.
Is AJR
@@claytronifon I mean it’s a bold statement but I don’t get how it’s weird
@@fm.3549 cuz whos to judge wat is considered important if the band has had almost no legacy yet and no notable bands have mentioned them as influence. i mean its a good way to validate how someone feels about an artist and helps them get across how much they like said music, but the idea of other ppl knowing wat is and isnt important seems ridiculous unless they themselves r a musician that puts out their own material..
@@shrimpscampisanchez4252 you had me until the end. People who are not musicians can say things like these but the point is how well acquainted they are with the theme they're discussing. The issue rises when looking at YT comments where under any band of any genre you see stuff like "Why is this xy band so underrated?" to a point where the word underrated is diluted. This is similar to the comment above but I don't mind it as much.
Granted I see where you're coming from and it's way too early to say anything but facts are, black midi are quite unique and represent the exciting underbelly of rock that so many people have been sleeping on for many years now. Honestly very glad midi broke through as they'll introduce more and more people to more unconventional stuff I myself have always been drawn to more.
I actually think this might be my favourite bm song..an absolute masterpiece.
bro how did u hear it already whaaaat
@@lizardguy7624 the unreleased title was called “JB”. you can find it on several live shows here on youtube i think
Nice pfp
It's gotta be John L for me, that shit's insane. But this is sick too, I'm so hyped for this new album
Pfp checks out
i feel like when adam neely commented "tight" on one of their songs they took it to heart
Which one?
When?
@@dfkdb6249 1st KEXP performance
From 3:24 onwards is pure brilliance. That instrumental build up with the sax, following with that "I guess I'll wait" refrain getting more and more intense is straight haunting.
This is their best song that I've heard so far. Holy shit
agreed
Tbh John L blew my mind a bit more, but this is still Fantastic.
@@albenizmorenoe7357 which version?
@@guycomments Studio version.
Although live is pretty good too.
@@albenizmorenoe7357 Seriously? Opposite for me. John L sounded a little too much like Schlagenheim. This one really got me excited, especially with the accompanying visuals.
Human language can't describe how happy i am that there is a modern prog rock band
An ACTUAL new prog band… Stuff like IQ and other 70s prog replica attempts just don’t count indeed
yes
@@underscorechaz Agreed, what sets Black midi apart in todays modern "prog" scene, is that they are actually progressive and innovative. I say this as a Opeth, TFK, Steven Wilson, Moon Safari fan, but BM just destroys these bands, what these guys have to offer is just waaay more interesting. I put these guys up there with bands like Yes, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Gong and Magma. Kinda like a Cardiacs of current times, which is also awesome.
@@snuppssynthchannelyou named like all my favorite bands in one comment, including Cardiacs, which is so under appreciated
We are so lucky to be on the planet at the same time as this band.
yes
Greeps guitar solo on this track has haunted me every day since I first heard it a year ago. It is the perfect anti-solo. Would definitely get you kicked out of music school, but at the same time it's the most genius thing I've ever heard. It moves me every time. Something only Greep could pull off. It's also great that this song is played at Guitar Center so I get to hear Greep with the likes of Van Halen and Randy Rhodes.
why would they kick you out of music school? im genuinly interested
You ought to check out The Mars Volta ifc you like really dissonant guitar work. Omar reinvented the instrument (as much as one can).
Great solo indeed. But music schools being strictly about playing beautiful and theoretically streamlined stuff is a myth. Atonal guitar work has been appreciated by teachers and students alike for ages. You can hear similar guitar work in old prog and jazz stuff from the 60s and 70s. The Frank Zappa influence in this solo is very evident, and Zappa is an icon in the worldwide music school scene.
I honestly hear a lot of Robert Fripp influence
The song that plays when you're in a steamy mood, because you live in Birmingham.
steaming**
I thought you meant Birmingham UK and I was going to ask if you were referring to race riots? Like the Indians fighting Pakistanis. Then I thought "oh no maybe she means Alabama" and there could be some blm style race riots there too! Now I'm thinking you meant humidity.
@@neilwhitaker6284 they are referencing a meme that features an angry man from Birmingham ranting over the instrumental from this track
@@rag4877 OK thank you, that comment really went over my head. I looked up the steaming rant and having been to Birmingham a few times I can sympathize with him although I did OK there.
This band plays music that I always heard in my head but I never tried to play
Same
I tried it in my head, but it erupted out into this video again.
I found that with these guys and king gizzard. They're in my mind fuzz man
Sorry to hear that
@@saucyguy4982 King gizzard for me as well, not black midi though lol
"Warning: This video contains gore" oooooo I'm pumped
the thumbnail looks really cute and the poster they posted on instagram looks really stylish so that warning took me by surprise
Pretty gore, huh
Well, they capitalized Gore in the description. I assumed it was a warning that Al Gore was in the video.
This feels like speedway all grown up
Slow is Speedways big brother
@@totalgarbage2053 Slow is the matured Speedway
@@WaldoWalker I dunno if I'd say matured. Speedway is purposefully minimal and simple because its about the linearity and repetitive nature of urban life. The new BM stuff is much more maximalist and uses more complicated structures. I think the message they're getting across is different rather than it being a case of maturing the sound.
The sound was already mature, they're just experimenting with new ideas that require a different pallete
Imo
Speedway meets Ducter
@@harpist. I absolutely agree with you. But if I have to defend my point, I'd just say that the things they are making now are more planned out rather than improvised like Schlagenhiem. But yeah, the vibe of the music they are making now just seems to remind me a whole lot of old orchestra piece for some reason.
These guys are tapping into a rare and higher creative energy and I'm so here for it.
I guess this is what happens when you tell someone you love them infront of black midi
Black Country New Road reference?
@@tezeta3725 obviously
Yesss
*I understood this reference*
Youve got great hips
i cant wait to play this in the car while my family looks at me all weird
I did that yesterday
yes
So real
This scared the shit outta me in the newest way possible
I was watching thinking, so true
I'm reminded of Pearl Jam do the evolution the video was just as terrifying.
Their style on the last few tracks they've released to hype up Calvacade are somehow more mature yet more unhinged and chaotic than what was previously on Schlagenheim. Excitement is unreal for this album holy shit
Schlagenheim was mostly written around jam sessions. This stuff is way more structured. The chaotic sound that the improv brought to Schlagenheim was incredibly cool, it’s one of my favorite albums, but I feel like these guys are in a completely different dimension when they actually sit down and formally right stuff.
@@Vashtanerada477 I'm so sorry I'm an asshole but it's "write" not "right".... Big love, no takin the piss mate, also this band is fukin Godhood
the music. the visuals. everything from black midi is art in highest form.
Black midi is going for a new style on this one
Maybe they're actually going black midi
Yeah, it's much more steeped in modern classical and free jazz sort of tonality. Very ambitious and they're pulling it off.
I love it though, it’s like Frank Zappa mixed with indie and scary shit
I like it, but it's a 100% King Crimson aswell as John L
@@TeddyWaldon at this rate i wouldn’t be surprised
I'm a sucker for those 'ff7 submarine' chord progressions in the verses
That aside, the song sounds phenomenal and this is also one of the most mental / best music videos I've ever seen
What are the verse parts?
@@kaymaas5439 I mean the bits like at 0:07 :)
So glad I'm not the only person for whom the ff7 submarine music is a huge huge reference point
@@MuteCircle steady, elitist ;)
Gustaf bravo!
great collab
Silence checkmark
@@naffy3327 silence vibeless automation
I don't know what it is that these guys do, how they do it, or why they do it, but I'm glad that they do, because it's clearly worth doing.
this has been ringing in my head for over a few weeks already
oh i just noticed at 5:36 it plays the last few seconds of diamond stuff
This is without a doubt one of the best music videos I have ever seen.
probably my favorite Black Midi track to date
I want them to become a new King Crimson ifyouknowwhatimean
I want them to be the new Black Midi ifyouknowwhatimean
king crimson discipline type beat
I mean, they're kind of getting there. But I like them as they are already
...referenced by hirohiko araki in jojo's bizarre adventure, leading to a flooding of comments sections with references?
@@getmeoutoftheyoutubeservers oh God please no
absolutely obsessed with how the animation and music both carry such a unique energy that can only accompany one another
i cant get the guy screaming about birmingham over this song out of my head lmao
I have the opposite problem. I want to watch that video lol
Everything about that was chaotically beautiful
Every time I watch a black midi music video, I have a new favorite music video.
This feels like Cowboy Bebop's opening, but in a fever dream
The Cowboy Bebop opening after your second dose of vaccine
@@hotelmario510 HAH that's the vibe right here
@@hotelmario510 *ketamine
I just played Tank right before this too
@@arkai4087 *lean
'If the core idea behind a band is to invite audiences into a world of thier own then Black Midi have given us a glimpse of an entire galaxy.' - John Clay
It’s like a new level of jazz music
noise rock meets jazz
*arguably* best band in the world right now
black midi is one of these bands who influence, but never gets the success.
yeah
buy their album
Tbh they’re already successful
@@maxox10 i'm very happy for em. just got tickets to see them live in october
Same!
I just can't help but bopping and nodding my head at 3:42
Yup, can't wait for cavalcade
i love how ironic is the song title
already know this gonna be fire
and it is
This is one of the few songs I've heard that feels like it's telling a story, not through the lyrics, but by how it moves, how it progresses. It's almost like there's a fully realized world and epic story in this song. It reminds me of the classical symphonies in that regard.
I interpret it as the story of an apocalyptic-scale event, like a war or natural disaster (as in the video)
Hell yeah, and the lore has expanded now after the video for Welcome to Hell
4:08 - ABSOLUTE EARGASM!!!!!
this is definitely one of the best music videos I've ever seen
One of the most entertaining music videos I’ve seen a while.
sometimes it feels like black midi made music just to help stimulate my adhd riddled brain. Every listen has something new to it, these guys are truly incredible at making music.
Convinced that this is exactly what dying is like
I really like the imagery at 4:20. Really reminds me of Escher's Angels and Devils image. Roger Penrose used it as an analogy for his idea of how a multiverse might work even after the universe goes into heat death. Appropriate to the plot. This video feels like if you told an AI to do a Studio Ghibli short film in the style of Black Midi's album art
I adore the song. I keep watching the video to try and understand it
this sounds like humanity's graduation ceremony as we move into our next stage of being
So pumped for this album! The anticipation has been building... slowly...
song of the year
Holy shit the music videos you guys are pumping out are immaculate - your music deserves this level of madness
It's safe to say this is one of my favorite bands of all time.
I haven't been this excited for a new album in a long time
Honestly, in my humble opinion, the most interesting band in a long time. Watching them evolve like this is an absolute privilege..
1:15 absolutely bonkers guitar greep TBE
this is one of the best songs ever made
Please I need more of the Jerkhead cinematic universe
New Black Midi LP & New Squid LP all in the same month. The stars aligned perfectly on this 1 👍
& nov3l !
@@digital.hamaki Midi's currently @ rough trade & Squid is @ Warp records.
Sweet Trip and Natalia Lafourcade also have new albums releasing on the 28th. Huge month for music.
this song is the absolute fucking BEST live, i was in manchester for them the other day and god the moshing to this song was epic. TBE
Yooo I was there too. Was pretty tired by the time they played this tbf but it still slapped
the talent to get a band in a complete cacophony and in complete chaos in complete synchronicity is very admirable indeed.
god this new tracks are soo fucking good
You can’t name the genre, because it’s like all the best genres mixed into one.
Who knew music could be this good
I believe anyone who listens to The Mars Volta knew music could be this good ;)
@@cinemaspire7258 I do listen to the Mars Volta haha but really think this is a step beyond
@@pb.disappeared Two different bands with similar influences but different musical goals. No point in comparing them. They're both good and by their own merits.
Have played this every day for the past week. I see and hear new things each time
Same. Even when they perform it live, its always different.
Bass playing on this is god-tier.
Good choice on the Jazz.
This is the second best episode of Dr Who in years
So I analysed this in class with a student, and it seems to me that the music video is about the death of an artist (in metaphorical terms, failure of an artist), she has two posters of the two cartoons at the start and it was made with the software she is using, both cartoons/anime "died" with the coming of the planet, so the planet represents apocalypse which here is symbolic for end, for terminate. In artist terms, it's a scraped project (this is accentuated with her not saving her project, which coincides with the planet arriving, you can see the planet arrives in the knight cartoon as well because of the shadow in the building, so in a sense, she willfully terminates her projects which is represented by the planet, to the point that the failures of her projects end her will to keep being an artist, which is also represented with the planet, in real life) it's the lack of inspiration, the frustration of trying to make art succesfully.
The lyrics accentuate this as well:
"Searching
Still searching
Slowly it falls and slowly it dies
Slowly it crumbles right under my eyes
And it takes so long"
So when it comes to the artist you can see that she sees the news for the planet that is coming (again...apocalypse), on faux news, this is refering to the fact that it's fake, the planet is just symbolic for how she too will fade with the projects she scraped, self-doubt of her capacity as an artist makes her reconsider if this is something worth pursuing, and this is why she faces the same fate has her creations. The failure of her creations is the failure of herself as an artist.
In the end we can see Jerkhead looking at the egg she broke, and I guess this can represent that even if the artist parts, the art lives on? the egg itself I haven't identified the symbology but it could be related to the planet, or it represents the connection she has with the art.
Sorry, this was a bit flow of consciousness but I still wanted to share it.
thank you for this!
@@jadeharleyirl no problemo :)
interesting, initially i was convinced that the video was a representation of cycles of death in hierarchical planes, based in the phrase that shortly appears in the video "the end of a higher world is the end of our world" and the sequential transition of planes in 2d animation -> 3d -> creator -> meta creator (sort of biblical angel plane)
@@retailers_cl yes the phrase about the higher world is a little confusing to wrap around...
great stuff, made me understand things a little bit more.
also what's up with the jerkhead's hammer scene both a the beginning and at the end? seems like he just broke the egg. I'm not sure if the scene where he's running away riding the motorcycle is actually set in the future, like after everything that's happened during the video he managed to revert fate and avoid the end of the world, surviving the creator's decision.
edit: also Jerkhead looked a bit like Icarus before he died, as if he was trying to reach the sun.
Omg I love jazz now
Thanks for doing what you do. In my late 40s it is getting harder and harder to get as excited over new music as I did as a teen.....but y'all get me THAT excited.
This is what would happen if Robert Fripp joined Mahavishnu Orchestra, and recreated the album "Discipline" with them.
Most accurate description of this track I've seen yet
This is just if Frank Zappa collaborated with Polvo
Literally the first thing I thought when I heard the guitar was “this sounds a lot like KC”
Hahahaa!!!! I was thinking "Discipline" too!
@@ralstonwithanr reminded me of indiscipline
every character in this video looks like it could be its own scp
I love how this song is anything but slow
Holy shit, hats off for an incredible music video production! You are really going all in!
IDKWTF this is, but I likey. Very refreshing. Sounds like nothing else before it. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite new bands. This is pure art.
This is so awesome
hell yeah!!! my favorite jazz punk noise math rock atm
la musica no ha muerto, gracias por darme mas razones para seguir vivo, son de las mejores bandas en la tierra
0:58 Ah man they also got that damn shimmering on their graphics card. Once you see it, you can never unsee it. Been looking at many nvidia threads to sort this thing out. No luck yet.
This is my first time hearing this group, reminds me of like if a group of college students were really into king crimson, but like in a cool way
I'm totally getting a Kaiba vibe from this, a great anime to check out
I thought the animated part was like an homage to kaiba too!
Yuasa the GOAT
That's the first thing I thought when I saw the thumbnail lol
this video feels like it weighs a whole ass terabyte
I found this by accident when searching "black midi", and I'm happier listening to this than actual black midi. :p
That was an experience
Love from Japan you guys are fucking amazing
Ooohh Japan 😎
“The end of a higher world is the end of our world” ooooooop 💥
I am so excited for the new album words can't describe how I feel about black midi
that's my favorite NieR ending
Forget nier this is some drakengard true ending shit
thats probably the greatest music video i have ever saw
See kids, that's why you don't go around smashing orbs in any of the Demiurge's reality temples. Or do, who cares? It's not like it really matters.
never before have i had to take a break from watching a music video because of an impending anxiety attack. fucking 10/10.
Video clip has big Melancholia energy