Add N to (X) – Little Black Rocks In The Sun
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| Artist | Add N to (X) |
| Title | Little Black Rocks In The Sun |
| Label | Mute |
| Year | 1998 |
| Design | Unknown |
| Music | Analogue thrills |
| Desktop | Download image |
| Notes | Add N To (X) wielded their vintage analogue synths for a few years back in the late ’90s to deliver a fine mixture of bombast, sauciness, sci-fi and retro-oriented fun. This 10″ single is a hugely pleasurable thing: from its mysterious closed state, to the opening of the leaves, the hexagonal vinyl inside, the steampunk story that mixes in dashes of pop culture
“The Proud Pilot ADD N TO X enters his steam driven space ship to much applause and the fanfare of the massed marching drum machines of NASA. His mission: to enter the Black Hole and make contact with the SINGULARITY.” right through to the music itself. The title track on the ‘A’ side is a grin-inducing blend of noise, mayhem and pounding beats while the ‘B’ side presents amusing narratives spoken through a vocoder. Little Black Rocks In The Sun is a wonderful object that hints at an occluded past – it’s clearly paying homage to Gil Mellé’s soundtrack for The Andromeda Strain, a distinctly rare item nowadays:
Perhaps best known is the cover for the equally marvellous On The Wires Of Our Nerves, the sleeve that depicted Ann Shenton giving birth to a Moog synthesizer by caesarean section:
I mentioned sauciness as a key ingredient of Add N to (X)’s allure and here’s the primary evidence for such a claim, the Plug Me In video, a delightfully catchy tune that would have been number 1 if there’d been any justice in the world. Do note the Dailymotion website where this is hosted requires you to be 18 to view – no cheating now. |
| Listen | Little Black Rocks In The Sun (edit) |
