Tobacco from BMSR preps solo album for Anticon

Whether you like Black Moth Super Rainbow or not, the band's sound -- achieved using a series of vintage analog synthesizers, tape machines, and voice manipulation -- is intereesting on first listen. According to an email that popped up in my inbox this morning, it appears de facto BMSR leader Tobacco has decided to strike out on his own with a solo album. Fucked Up Friends will drop this October on Anticon, which seems like an interesting home for Tobacco.

Here's the word straight from the press release:
"On Fucked Up Friends, his first solo album, Tobacco explores a darker, starker and altogether more badass dimension of his complex vision. With his group Black Moth Super Rainbow, Tobacco distinguished himself as a master of jagged beats, glowing melodies and pronounced tension. This time, he works alone, in rural Pennsylvania, away from conventions and interference."

Click here to download the track "Truck Sweat."

But wait, what the hell does this mean: "Tobacco explores a darker, starker and altogether more badass dimension of his complex vision." Exploring a more "badass dimension of his complex vision?" Usually, people who are complex don't announce they are complex, right? And why is this fella always covering his face in all these photos? Oh, maybe he isn't. Perhaps he just lost his job, or found out they no longer stock his favorite snack food at the local convenience store. There could be a multitude of explanations for this behavior. Perhaps if I listen to the album it will all make sense. I hope. Fingers crossed. Maybe I'm just becoming a jaded music journalist. The more press kits I sift through, the more I find this contrived concept of establishing an image to be very annoying. But maybe it is the demands of the modern world that make artists like Tobacco create these images. I'm not picking on him, really. He is not alone in this. We are in the age of a PR-driven music scene. Sure, now we have so much music to choose from that we don't know what to do with ourselves. But really, it sometimes feels like things used to be a lot easier.