Cavalcade
About this Album
Cavalcade is the second album by black midi, released on 28 May 2021 through Rough Trade. It has eight tracks, opening with "John L," and followed the band's 2019 debut Schlagenheim[1].
The record was engineered by John "Spud" Murphy and produced with Marta Salogni, with sessions in London and at Hellfire Studios in Dublin[1]. Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin took a break during this period for his mental health, and saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi and keyboardist Seth Evans joined the sessions[1].
The album is organized as a procession of characters, each telling a story before the next overtakes them, with figures ranging from a fraudulent king to a man ruined at a diamond mine.[2][3][4] The band also drew visual inspiration from the Tintin comics for its press imagery.[3]
Critical response was warm. The album holds an 81 on Metacritic and placed at number 23 on Pitchfork's list of the best albums of 2021.[1]
Songs
References
- Cavalcade (Black Midi album) (Wikipedia) — Album recording, personnel, release and reception.
- black midi: Cavalcade (Treble) — Review describing the album's cast of characters.
- Under the Influence: black midi on Cavalcade (Stereogum) — Interview on characters, visuals and influences.
- black midi Cavalcade review (Guitar.com) — Review and the band's 'cavalcade' concept.