It’s always hard to know exactly why Blackfield exist. That is no slight on the work the group have produced, just an acknowledgement of the fact that the two perpetrators of the melancholic alt-rock that comes under the Blackfield name are two musicians with careers that are both critically, and to an extent, commercially successful. Aviv Geffen is a bona fida rock superstar in his native Israel, despite his often controversial left-wing political positions. Steven Wilson is known the world over, predominantly for his work as main man in modern art rock giants Porcupine Tree, but also for a wide variety of other experimental music projects.
For Wilson Blackfield is an unusual project in its very simplicity. For a man almost constantly involved in music that pushes the envelope, his work with Geffen is uncharacteristically based around straightforward rock music. This is puzzling because Wilson has shown himself to be a perfectly capable songwriter in other fields; does he really feel he needs Blackfield as an opportunity to show off the fact that he’s at home writing what is essentially pop rock as well as in the worlds of his day job? From the opposite side of the spectrum, Blackfield is not much different to what Geffen does in his usual line of work. Essentially Blackfield seems, to an outsider, like a musical project that lacks any particular point.
However, over the course of two well received albums in 2005 and 2007, Blackfield proved that it did have a point. For Wilson the project seemingly provided an opportunity to kick back and relax a bit, with music that was less ‘difficult’ than usual and for Geffen it provided an opportunity to expand by working with a man widely acknowledged as a musical artiste of the highest order as well as an opportunity to take his music to people who would otherwise never have heard of him. Of course, these points were only proved satisfactory by the fact that both the first two Blackfield albums were pleasant affairs. The duo’s new album, which came as something of a surprise when it was announced, is different to their previous efforts in that this is pretty much a Geffen solo record. Sure, Steven Wilson plays guitar and sings but all of the songs, bar 'Waving', are solo compositions by Geffen.
Whilst it would be cruel to suggest that this is the reason why this album is not as impressive as Blackfield’s previous releases, it does seem as if there must be some correlation. The thing is that Geffen is an extremely capable songwriter, as he shows on 'Zigota' (formerly a Geffen solo track) which is the highlight of the album, but lyrically and musically this album showcases the Israeli with a lack of quality ideas. Everything present on the album is interesting but much of it sadly comes off as dull and, at the very worst, contrived.
The album’s lowest point is undoubtedly the cringeworthy 'Go to Hell'. The lyrical content barely stretches beyond the most basic and poorly constructed ‘fuck you all’ sentiment, quite literally. It’s genuinely a bit of an embarrassment. Thankfully the track is, if not saved, then reprieved somewhat through its vaguely interesting musical content but coming just two tracks in its a bad sign for the record and sadly, for the most part, a fair enough marker for what is to come.
Musically the whole thing is decent if not especially attention-grabbing but the songs just aren’t of the quality one has come to expect from either this project or these two songwriters. Opener 'Glass House' is fairly basic but it’s enjoyable. The issue is that most of the tracks on this record are not that enjoyable, just forgettable. When things sound like they are about to get really interesting they either carry on in an overly repetitive manner or they stop. Take 'Blood' as an example. Heavier than the average Blackfield track, this song includes an oriental influenced introduction that could clearly be used as the basis for an exciting, vibrant song. Instead the oriental influence is muted somewhat and all we get is another fairly bland alt-rock song. Now one shouldn’t be going into a Blackfield album expecting experimentation, that’s already been made clear. However one expects the songs to be very good songs and the majority of the songs on 'Welcome To My DNA' are just not quite up to scratch.
Thankfully, despite the frequently questionable lyrics which are present on almost every song, things never get really bad on this album. Pretty much everything is average with a couple of notable exceptions. 'Oxygen' and 'Zigota' have a freshness and expression to them that is lacking on the other songs. Meanwhile 'Rising of the Tide' and 'Waving' are memorable if not exactly brilliant. There will probably be plenty of people that enjoy this album but, in all honesty, it is disappointing and not at all special. I can’t help but think that the talents of Geffen and Wilson could better have been utilised doing something else with their time.
Album Rating: 5/10
'Welcome to my DNA' is out now on K-Scope records. Blackfield tour the UK from the 6th-8th April. Steven Wilson’s new solo album will be out in September.
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However, over the course of two well received albums in 2005 and 2007, Blackfield proved that it did have a point. For Wilson the project seemingly provided an opportunity to kick back and relax a bit, with music that was less ‘difficult’ than usual and for Geffen it provided an opportunity to expand by working with a man widely acknowledged as a musical artiste of the highest order as well as an opportunity to take his music to people who would otherwise never have heard of him. Of course, these points were only proved satisfactory by the fact that both the first two Blackfield albums were pleasant affairs. The duo’s new album, which came as something of a surprise when it was announced, is different to their previous efforts in that this is pretty much a Geffen solo record. Sure, Steven Wilson plays guitar and sings but all of the songs, bar 'Waving', are solo compositions by Geffen. 
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