It’s amazing to think that Black Market Karma are already a dozen albums into their career, given that they are something of a niche artist. A greatest hits collection is unlikely ever to be due, let’s put it that way. This, incidentally, is not a criticism.
Wobble, the latest of those long players, sees them in woozy, sleep-inducing mode (I mean this in a good way, just in case you were wondering), and in fact it has soundtracked more than one instance of me catching up on the zeds lately. Please don’t think that means Wobble is in any way dull though. It’s not. The best way I can describe it is “like Flowered Up met Real Estate and decided to write a tribute album to late sixties psychedelia in which Marc Bolan is the true fountain of inspiration.” It’s extremely relaxing listening to it, though there are other moments that surprise and intrigue, like the country and western twang of ‘The Din Of An Ending‘ two thirds of the way through the record. Or the Tamla Motown like musical accompaniment to the excellent ‘Puddle Eyed Sponger‘, which is as delightful in its whimsicality as it is memorable for its entertaining title.
A lot of Wobble is somewhat one-paced though, hence the hypnotic, trance-like quality that lulls you to your siesta. So, instrumental numbers such as the opener, ‘Mushy Conscience‘, the vivid dream of ‘Going On Easy‘ and the golden slumbers of the brief ‘Olive‘ are all capable of rejuvenating you with the power of sleep. Again though, in a good way.
Often, the tracks here remind me of the old Rough Trade Singles Club when you’d get stuff like ‘88 Lines About 44 Women‘ by The Nails or ‘Phonefreak Honey‘ by Sweet Jesus, although neither of those sound anything like this; I’m merely referring to the DIY ethos that seems to fit very neatly with both this band and those.
Closing track ‘Stepping Loose‘ is a fantastic end to proceedings, classy and soulful with echoes of Classics IV‘s inimitable ‘Spooky‘ but with layers of shimmering guitar to give it that slightly unearthly feel.
So yes, all in all, Wobble is an enjoyable listen. And if you want the full effect, I would advise you to black out the world, lie on your back on top of your bed and let the gently off-kilter melodies wash over you.
Very pleasant, for want of a better word.
