HARDHOUND

Add N to (X) – Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Author: Colin | Published: 8/1/11

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

Add N to (X) - Little Black Rocks In The Sun

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:

Gil Mellé - The Andromeda Strain

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:

add-n-to-x

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)


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