Black Lungs - Send Flowers
Black Lungs is Wade MacNeil, Canadian Rockers Alexisonfire’s lead guitarists small side project and sees a collection of songs he had written over the years which he has stated that he found so introspective and personal that he wanted to sing them himself. Enlisting the help of Sammi Bogdanski, who has helped out on previous Alexisonfire releases, on piano and Ian Romano from Attack In Black on drums, Wade MacNeil has put together a tidy little band performing some intriguing and powerful mix of folk and punk.
Drawing inspiration from such legendary singer songwriters including the likes of Billy Bragg, Wade MacNeil has written some fine songs full of powerful and emotionally charged vibes.
The album kicks off with “A Blessing and a Curse” which is a chant of an intro to the rest of the album, which starts to fire you up ready for what you are about to receive. “Fire and Brimstone” is the first genuine track of the album. Starting off slowly with a mix of piano, vocals and violin it shows off the emotional side of this album in full. It does finish with full drums and guitar adding the extra spice at the very end.
The album is full of fast paced songs with the powerful vocals in them. “Hold Fast (Sink or Swim)” the first single taken from the album is the big song and so easy to visualise a crowd chanting in full voice during the chorus. The others do tend to follow the same pattern and there is a risk that it can get a bit repetitive but thankfully Black Lungs keep it moving on nicely. Wade MacNeil’s vocals are clearly not that of a natural lead singer but his gravely style grabs the desired effect with the raw emotion that the songs are trying to deliver.
At just under thirty minutes in length, including the chant of an opening intro track, the album is just a tiny bit on the short side. However, there is plenty packed in within that half an hour to keep the Alexisonfire fans and new fans happy alike.