Black Marble
Bigger Than Life
Release Date: Oct 25, 2019
Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock
Record label: Sacred Bones
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Album Review: Bigger Than Life by Black Marble
Very Good, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 8/10
With each Black Marble album, Chris Stewart's music has gotten warmer and nearer to his listeners. On It's Immaterial, his melodies grew bigger and sweeter while holding onto the quintessential aloofness of his coldwave and synth-pop influences. The gradual thaw of Black Marble's music quickens on Bigger Than Life, Stewart's Sacred Bones debut. Where his previous album was literally a departure -- he wrote it in Brooklyn while planning his escape to Los Angeles -- this one is an arrival that celebrates his new life in the City of Angels.
Based on rating 7.5/10
Stewart's relocation to Los Angeles, which preceded the creation of Bigger Than Life, surely has at least something to do with Black Marble warming up the colder corners of its bedroom post-punk. The opening seconds of "Never Tell" sound like the soundtrack of a forgotten '80s techno-thriller playing on VHS down a hall, but it gradually steps into a more present foreground. Retro equipment and reliance on reverb are still central to the character of the music, while Stewart's songwriting has wandered deeper into pop-touched territory without feeling pushed there.
Based on rating 7/10
Black Marble has officially graduated into his summer goth phase. After moving from New York City to Los Angeles some time ago, Chris Stewart set out to write a new record, his third, and used his change of scenery to reflect outwardly in his music. Rather than using introspection to create a body of work, Stewart sought to create something representative of his new surroundings, gleaning inspiration from the city's busy transit system and the distinct horizon drawn by the mountains seen from his studio window. The result is the ….
Based on rating 6.6/10
The synth-pop grammar that dictates Black Marble's music is strict and specific. The project formed as a duo in 2012 but eventually pared down to lone member Chris Stewart; throughout, its output has been uniformly composed of the same carefully curated elements. The instruments are hulking hardware synths and drum machines that hum when they power up.
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