Black Market Karma
Plastic Hippie

Can someone explain to me why these guys aren't yet considered by the public as one of the best musical realities today? Every time I listen to one of their records, I'm simply thrilled and fascinated by the ease with which they create such catchy and joyful melodies, magical sounds dictated over time by that typical and hypnotic reverb of the voices and guitar sound.

The Black Market Karma come from London and their new LP ('Plastic Hippie') was released practically just a few months after the previous 'Sixth Time Around', and as usual for Flower Power Records. There are a lot of people, I know, who don't have a good opinion of bands that release records in such a short span of time, because it is generally assumed that this is not a good sign regarding the quality not only of the songs contained within the albums but also of what one might consider a lack of attention to studio work and during the recording phases. Naturally, as far as I am concerned, and also respecting everyone's opinion, I don't care about this thing, firmly convinced, on the contrary, that this thing doesn't really matter and that it has never mattered in the history of rock and roll and pop music.

What do we want from a rock music record, after all? What do we want when we listen to a new record or new music? Let's be clear: what we want is simply to feel deep emotions and be swept away by a kind of tornado and in a magical vortex where we experience breathtaking sensations, and for all these things, it is evident that concepts like time have no value, just as one cannot think in these terms of music as the simple result of something that might be considered as 'work'.

After all, making music could be considered a job, but then again, maybe not. I have my musical project and obviously, I don't consider myself a musician, I'm not a professional musician and besides this, considering that I am forced by my 'ordinary' professional activity which requires a lot of time and commitment and concentration, I can't dedicate to this thing all the time I would like. Even if this thing obviously dismays me, it would be fantastic for me to be able to dedicate more time to it, but as usual, you can't always have everything you want. But listening to records like this one, after all, and the simple way these guys approach music makes me think that talking about professionalism and craft is just bullshit. If you have something to say, say it, if you have songs, but even just words you want to say to everyone or to someone in particular, do it.

I don't remember exactly what I wrote about their previous record that I reviewed last December. Obviously, I must have spoken more than well of 'Sixth Time Around' and the fact that this band is so prolific. After all, I already knew then that they were working on new songs and that they are the ones that became part of this record. I surely spoke of Black Market Karma as what I consider one of the highest representations of what should be understood as psychedelia today, or neo-psychedelia if you prefer this other type of definition.

Using one of my old expressions about this band, I reaffirm that, 'Little Anton Newcombes grow,' (just listen to 'Sleep', or 'The Sunshine Mess' with a typically 90s BJM approach, or 'Hiding From My Brain' which instead refers to the latest productions of the San Francisco original band) and surely Black Market Karma have grown and continue to grow record after record up to this 'Plastic Hippie' which perhaps is their most ambitious work and particularly for the duration of the record which is about an hour and a half, a non-secondary fact for music that, even if recognizable as psychedelic rock, surely has an aspect that could be defined as pop or in any case that in some way refers to the traditional British psychedelia of the sixties. So it might be possible to eventually find yourself lost in a bunch of songs or something that in the end might appear only as ambition and that this band has lost that fundamental component that I recognize, that is spontaneity, but this is only before listening to the record, because after you realize that instead it is not so and that on the contrary, they have hit the mark again.

It's a band that I define as easy-listening. Coming from London, they are inevitably influenced by the sound of UK-made pop music and the beat and psychedelic music of the sixties ('That Mandrake Beat'), just as inevitable are the references to certain shoegaze sounds like Slowdive or My Bloody Valentine and the inevitable psychedelic elements drawn from the less daring episodes of Velvet Underground ('Use What You Fear', 'Igloo'), a mix that in the end leads to their recognizable sound which we can follow record after record. What I mean is that I don't exaggerate if I say that, for example, 'Where I Am Needed' is a song whose sound can be defined as typically Black Market Karma branded.

When 'Comatose' came out, a dear friend of mine, who must be about fifty or a little more, told me he was thrilled with this group and wished he were younger to appreciate them as and how they would have deserved. I imagine it was a compliment, I mean I’m sure it was: he meant they are a fantastic band and had appreciated them greatly. At the same time, however, it's as if he necessarily wanted to place the band as referenced to an audience of listeners that were necessarily young. I wouldn't know what to say about it. I mean, last Sunday I turned thirty-two and, all right, I'm still far from turning fifty probably, but listening to a record like this I wouldn't know whether I'm old enough or not. Actually, I just think I’m listening to what I consider good music and that makes me feel important emotions. What is certain, apart from all this, is that as said, I consider this band as one of those who are really on the piece (by the way, at flowerpowerrecords.com you can download all their records for free) and this regarding the sounds and themes proposed and also their approach to music and listeners. In this sense, I am sure that Black Market Karma do not play music that does not look at the past and that neither claims to be the music of the future. Black Market Karma are the present time and so are we, regardless of what your age might be, so fuck it, what does it matter how old we are or not. Simply: listen. And enjoy everyone.