Colin Vearncombe is Black…Black! …BLACK!

The wheels of time, how they have spun while I was chewing on the Moogfest thread. Lots of things have happened and it’s time I mention a few of them. First of all, long time favorite Colin Vearncombe is making his first album since he dropped “Water On Stone” and “The Given” in 2009. Since then, [gasp] five years have passed and we’ve all moved outward in the universe. This time the rules of engagement have changed for The Artist Known As Black. He’s crowd funding his new album on Pledge Music and less than six weeks later, he’s sitting at 112% of goal.

Of course, we are always at the ready to hit the “buy” button for Mr. Vearncombe. The caliber of his songwriting and singing is top drawer, but this outing will differ from all of his previous albums in that the legendary Mr. Calum Malcolm will be sitting in the producer’s chair. Those in the know realize that Mr. Malcolm was the gent who managed to catch sonic lightning on tape in his Castlesound studios for the classic Blue Nile albums. While Black albums have never been slouches in the production department, [the closest thing to a misstep in his career was Robin Millar’s overtly commercial production of the titular “Black” album of 1993] it will be interesting to hear what Calum brings to the table for this project. And I’m in for the low, low price of £15 for the straight CD. Since I already have autographed CV albums in the Record Cell, I’ll pass this time on the autographed disc. This being the time of crowd funding, other buy-ins are awaiting the cognoscenti.

Release Party complete with acoustic session

Pre-Release Listening Party

Amid the usual T-shirts, and handwritten lyric sheets, are a few pledge points that manage to raise the eyebrow. £300 will get you admission to an exclusive album preview evening with Vearncombe and his co-writer Calum MacColl playing each of the songs acoustically plus comparing them to the finished album cuts, with Q+A plus the de riguer deluxe goodie bag. Just keep January 2015 open and your travel agent on danger money. Ten slots remain open for the curious.

7″ Singles Pack B

The record collector in me appreciates the 7″ Singles Pack B, with 7″ pressings of: “Fly Up To The Moon,” “Here Ot Comes Again,” “The Big One [poster sleeve],” More Than The Sun,” and the indie “Wonderful Life” 2×7″ that’s the real gold here. I have most of these that I need, but for £40 it’s a pretty good deal, considering that the pressings will be Colin’s mint stock and he will of course autograph then for the discerning buyer.

This Is Your Song

Hmm, now what on earth rhymes with ‘Hermoine?’

The coolest thing here is that for the Black fan with deep pockets, who’s maybe looking for that right wedding present, there is an option of Mr. Vearncombe writing a custom song to a fan’s specifications which he’ll record it acoustically, as well as sending the pledger the handwritten lyric sheet. Pretty posh, but it doesn’t come cheap. The luxury of those velvet tones singing your thoughts will set you back £4,100 smackers. Not cheap, but art on demand costs money. That Mr. Vearncombe puts himself on the line like this speaks volumes about his self-confidence as a songwriter. Of course, the savvy Mr. Black will retain all copyright to said songwriting endeavor! So if he really likes the result, it may turn up on an album to be spread far and wide in a bid for immortality. I hope to pledge in a few weeks if I can build up some cash in my music funds, which are currently depleted. But there are many fascinating projects waiting out there in the wilds these days. Tomorrow, we’ll look at another.

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