The Black Box Revelation

Live at the AB by The Black Box Revelation is a serviceable collection of garage rock songs, oozing the sweat and sleaze of a darkened, smoky bar on a hot Saturday night. The only problem is this brand of music is neither original or particularly interesting, all of the bases seemingly covered by superior bands such as Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The White Stripes (their early records at least) and The Vines to name but a few; whilst there is undoubtedly an audience for this style, we have seen with the falls of many of the proponents of the genre that to achieve any real longevity a sense of evolution is required. Whilst there is a certain charm to this stubborn desire not to change – and the undeniable sense of character this swills into the mix – it can only be said that you will either be a fan of the type of music, and therefore a fan of this, or you will continue to be unwavering in your belief that, as a genre, it is generally an unrewarding listen.

Having said this there is much to be said for the songs here; they are fairly catchy, though ultimately very similar in sound. Being a live album it is obvious that much is lost in terms of atmosphere, and it is plain that the songs would work best in an enclosed, sweatbox rock club. It is suffused with energy and dirty vigour – prerequisites of the genre in general – and the E.P is of a good sound quality, translating the crunch of the live performance to a trio of hard-hitting garage rock blasts. It is noticeable that this unpredictable energy is lost on the sole studio recording 'I Think I Like You’, which pales when compared to the raucous and vivacious 'Love, Love Is On My Mind’. If The Black Box Revelation translated this vitality to the studio tracks then they could become an exciting proposition.