By: John Mabery
Rating: 3/11

Black Water, a post-punk band from New Jersey, seem almost destined to make you want to hit the mute button whenever one of their songs come on.  The title to the recently released Disasters (2010) is appropriate, given that is something this album has an abundance of.  The opening track, “Into The Wild,” truly sets the pace for the rest of the album – methodical and tedious.  Most of their songs are well past the five-minute mark, which is fine in punk music as long as you can manage to keep the listener enthralled for such a lengthy period of time.  Unfortunately, Black Water is not one of those groups.  All eight of the songs are too repetitive, making the overall experience a rather dull, sometimes excruciating one.  They are simply not that interesting, the vocals too wrenching to tolerate for longer than two minutes.  Black Water is, unfortunately, the kind of band that will waste your time and then some. 

By: Carlyn Worthy
Rating: 7/11

Black Water brings noise rock to the streets of Jersey with the release of debut album Disasters (Lifetime Ban, LLC, released April 20, 2010). A rarity in Jersey City, the Black Water sound is commendable and innovative, as it is scarce to find a band daring enough to deliver real punk rock to this city.

The drums are upbeat and the guitars are enticing, creating a feel-good, party sound. The vocals are similar to pop-rock band Franz Ferdinand (you may remember their hit single “Take Me Out,” released in 2004), which can be heard in singles “On A Grid” and “In The Wild.” Every track is fast-paced, edgy and will put the listener in the mood to dance. However, in “Black Water Song” the guitar sounds messy. The vocals save the song but the instrumental has a consistency that is hard to find, harboring too many changes in tempo.

Disasters is, from start to finish, a party rock album. Black Water has a strictly underground sound that is professional yet appealing because they have not been commercialized. They are refreshing to the listener starved for sounds that have not been tainted by the airwaves.

The only flaws to this album are monotony and inconsistency. This may seem contradictory but after a few tracks, the sounds begin to blend. Furthermore, as the album progresses the guitars and drums begin to battle each other, which is okay for now because they’re “newbie’s.”  But, while extremely talented, the band still has their work cut out for them. If they manage to escape these issues while recording their second album, Black Water has the potential to reach the masses and produce music both entertaining and enticing.

To figure out who you think is on the mark, download Black Water's Disasters here for free!