well, this is the least PG song i’ve reviewed so far (i’ve only reviewed one other song!). the lyrical content is definitely not a comfortable topic anywhere. but when it comes to big black, i’m willing to ignore it, because oh my god, the noise is loud, incredible, and absolutely unyielding.
i’ve already listened to Atomizer, their debut, and have enjoyed it, so expect that to be an album of the month sometime soon. “Passing Complexion” is probably the second-best track on the album, the first being the legendary “Kerosene“. big black is probably what you think of exactly when thinking of noise rock: as in, they’re pure noise. they’re the sound of plastic forks scraping on a polystyrene plate.
when it comes to how “Passing Complexion” sounds, i saw a comment online likening it to a circle. and honestly, that’s a very good description of the song, if the circle was actually a razorblade spinning at 60000 RPM shredding through plexiglass. it’s pretty repetitive, with a shrill, high-pitched, ear-scraping riff, but my favorite part has to be the breakdown that comes at around 2:19, where the bass and rhythm guitar go insanely fast. honestly, i don’t even think these metaphors describe it well enough.
if you ever feel like having your ears blown out, give it a listen!
q-street 