Firstly. The name. Seriously great, of course. The man. Carey Mercer. The sunstroke genius of Frog Eyes and Swan Lake. But first, a story. My first introduction to Wolf Parade (GBOAT) was through the eyes of Carey Mercer. It was 2005 and I had just picked up the music issue of The Believer. Inside there was a great CD. Great artists covering other great artists. The last song was "Claxxon's Lament" by said Wolf like band. It was painful and beautiful, mangled and so human. I was listening to Spencer Krug for the first time. Soon I was tracking down this Montreal (by way of Vancouver) band. I found an EP, then another, then soon an album. The rest, as they say, is history. But I also tracked down Carey Mercer, who wrote "Claxxon's Lament". I was soon engulfed in the wondrous world of Frog Eyes. But, "Claxxon's Lament" was actually a Blackout Beach song.

So, to Blackout Beach. Essentially the solo work of Mercer, it is dark and complex. He released an album in 2004 named "Light Flows The Putrid Dawn", layered and intricate. Now he is about to release "Skin Of Evil". It will be available soon on Soft Abuse Records. The album contains ten tracks and was composed and recorded totally by Mercer. It won't be popping up any day soon at Sanity, but it is definitely a must for truly adventurous listener. To quote the great Dan Bejar, "I believe Skin of Evil is the best record I will hear this year, but let’s not get into that."

Skin Of Evil Track Listing
1. Cloud Of Evil
2. Biloxi, In a Grove, Cleans Out His Eyes
3. Three Men Drown in the River
4. William, the Crowd, It's William
5. The Roman
6. Woe to the Minds of Soft Men
7. The Whistle
8. Nineteen, One God, One Dull Star
9. Sophia, Donna, I Was Down the River Waiting
10. Astoria, Menthol Lite, Hilltop, Wave of Evil, 1982

MP3: Cloud Of Evil-Blackout Beach
MP3: The Stuttered XXX Breeze XXX-Blackout Beach
MP3: Claxxon's Lament-Blackout Beach