In terms of packaging, Black Fiction could be holding the trophy for best artwork of the year. The cover of their new album, Ghost Ride, features a collection of cut outs from a deck of playing cards. The upper bodies of queens, jacks, and kings are laid out in 4 rows on the cover. On the back, it gets even better. A hand drawn picture of my favorite Ninja Turtle Raphael holding 2 bloody sais standing over a collection of queen, jack, and king heads. I knew right then, upon seeing my favorite ninja turtle, that this album was sure to impress.
Thankfully, multi-instrumentalist Tim Cohen doesn't disappoint as he blends a collection of beats, strings, and other noises to reveal himself as a talented musician. The album reveals its cards immediately. "Great Mystery" opens with some slightly plucked guitar that is soon followed by a tried and true drumbeat. Cohen's voice is at once intriguing, coating the great rhythms with his deep boom. One song in and Black Fiction is on its way down the river. "I Spread The Disease" is a Prince-inspired soul tune with back-up vocals that hints at Hot Chip with a little more bass. A calypso beat runs through the entire thing and a steel drum at a live show would surely bring the entire place down like a house of cards.
