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Photo by Jason Frank Rothenberg A-Side: Black Dice
“Manoman”
B-Side: Black Dice
“Gore/Toka Toka”

[2006]
A-Side:StarStarStarStar-half
B-Side:StarStarStarStarStar-half
The title track here seems to be the predicted reaction of Black Dice listeners: man, oh man. Moving past Broken Ear Record's loud, colorful futurism, the band aims mostly for the percussive and primitive. "Manoman" pounds like a heartbeat, as chopped-up vocals and aimless synths hint like footprints at an longlost song. That fades into "Gore", the real masterpiece here. Like Eno's "The Big Ship" on Another Green World, the track has one contour--big crescendo, big decrescendo--though the synths chirp more than squirm, the drums bang more than whimper, and with eyes closed it'd be difficult not to picture some kind of spectacular and generally awesome parade. At 4/4 and a more danceable tempo, "Toka Toka" comes off like a compact "Cone Toaster"--nothing new for Black Dice, but not a slag either.
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