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Listen to 'Rotsler's Rules' LP (2022)

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‘The long awaited sixth album' Limited first edition 180gms vinyl of Black Cab's sixth album 'Rotsler's Rules'. Now shipping until initial run of 400 worldwide is sold out. Includes sep. holographic sticker. Cover illustration by William 'Bill' Rotsler from the cover of the 1946 sci-fi fanzine The Acolyte (with permission). Side A Superheroes - 4'51" Hanna 1 - 3'46" Hanna 2 - 4'35" Halo - 3'52" Side B One Night - 2'52" Bad:Robot - 4'07" Superfans! - 2'40" Karl Marx Stadt - 4'18" Rotsler’s Rules - 5'11" © All tracks Black Cab 2022 Mixed by Woody Annison Mastering by Andrei Eremin Artwork by Luke Fraser Acolyte illustration by William 'Bill' Rotsler from the 1946 edition (#14) of early sci-fi fanzine The Acolyte Special guests: Graeme Pogson (drums), Evan Tweedie (bass), Lucy Buckeridge (Hanna backing vox) and Steve Law (sequences). Rotsler's Rules by Black Cab Reviews for Rotsler's Rules "This is a record to dance to. It does a lot of things beyond that of course. It plays with the notions of technology and methodology (intrinsically good or bad?); it crosses electronica that punches and rock that grooves; it dabbles in cosplay (Rotsler’s rules being a set of directions for those indulging in the dress up/act up scene); its sound rewards the close attention of headphone-wearers; it slides in sly jokes (musical and lyrical); and as well as punching the card of four or five decades of music, it makes references to the band’s own recording past without labouring the point for newcomers. And it does those things really well. This is smart music that isn’t afraid of physicality, it’s machine-driven business that constantly cuts against notions of distance and the impersonal with strong undertones of emotional resonance (but is also comfortable saying “machines go ping, and we’re good with that”), and it sounds great at volume. But best of all, most decisively, it just hits you in your moving bits. The feed-me-to-Afrika-Bambaataa rhythmic stiffness of Bad_Robot pops and locks even geriatric hips and elbows, the barebones pattern under the ancient synths like some eye-blurring pendulum in front of you. The mix of electronic drums and damp-in-Manchester keyboards of Hanna Pt.1 invites terse shoulder moves and matching brief feet shuffles, before Hanna Pt. 2 throws off the heavy coat and chucks some Moroder blissful trance onto the Italian techno.Karl Marx Stadt sprinkles rinky dink sounds onto its tight circle of simplicity that expands and contracts and somehow forces your breathing to mimic it, while the title track feels almost lush in its keyboard bed but the cruising momentum is inexorable. And if Halo, with its Hook-ian high bassline hook (played, you would hope, about 30cm above the floor and at least four pints in) and shimmering overlays, somehow conjures night-time sunshine, Superfans – the bass this time leaning into blue-eyed funk and the drums cutting back in – brings a certain menace to what should really be two and a half minutes of letting go. Even the carefully measured march of One Night, a mid-album moment to pause and ponder maybe, suggests a rhythmic crinkle in the material, while Superheroes opens proceedings with a Rick Smith-style build to euphoria (which would definitely peak gloriously in another four or five minutes that I’d love to see added in an extended version) and Karl Hyde-style cryptic murmurings, that sets out Rotsler’s Rules’ stall unequivocally. They want you to dance – maybe in your living room, your car, their shows in Sydney on the 20th and Melbourne on the 28th , or wherever you find yourself hearing this. I can’t see any reason to argue really." - Bernard Zuel, 2022 "Black Cab travel to the retro-future in search of the golden age of fandom. Lots of things have surprised me about Rotsler’s Rules, the new record by Naarm / Melbourne band Black Cab. To begin with, while I wasn’t looking, one of my favourite little bands turned twenty-three, which doesn’t seem possible; I guess it’s their endlessly fresh-sounding retro-futurism which fooled me. With each release they’re just a bit more science-fictional and future-focused than on the one before -the genres they started playing so many years ago are definitely not the ones they’re playing now- and so it’s like they’re getting younger, or travelling backwards in time. The truth is, they’re unbound by the strictures of linear progression, heading backwards in history even as their sound surges forward. The next surprise is William ‘Bill’ Rotsler. I’m a sci-fi nerd, of a certain sort. For instance, I regularly look up the list of Hugo Award winners if I’m short of something to read. I never heard of Bill Rotsler before now, but he’s won four of them. The fan artist, illustrator and sci-fi writer lived in a slightly different part of the nerdiverse to me: he won that slew of gongs for his fan art I think, which is not something I know…really anything about. Also a sometimes pornographer -I don’t know how much crossover there is with his sci-fi work- Rotsler is a colourful character, whose backstory and artbooks are very much worth a -slightly prurient- look. If you do so you’re likely to come across a mention of Rotsler’s Rules: a manual of fan etiquette that will instruct the reader what they can wear, can’t wear and just how to wear it when cosplaying at conventions. The Rules themselves are quite a diverting read, illuminating fascinating chunks of fannish history and some hilarious anecdotes. See for evidence the ‘No Peanut Butter’ rule, but be warned, it’s not for the weak of stomach. Black Cab are no strangers to a concept record. From their debut full-length, Altamont Diary, a retelling of the tragic events of the Stones’ concert at San Francisco’s Altamont Speedway in 1969, to the muscle-obsessed Olympians that comprised the East German team at the ‘76 games in Montreal and also Black Cab’s Games Of The XXI Olympiad, this band love a good story. Even their re-soundtracking of the anime classic Akira is, in a way, a concept piece. Rotsler’s Rules appears to be exactly that sort of trip into the sepia-toned past, depicting the inner life of fans, so full of the joy of fantasy and how dressing up as someone else can let you be your best self. The most obvious example is the sentimentally charged Hanna, with its touching depiction of fandom and lyrics like “You’re never on your own … When you’re someone else.” The bittersweet, kosmische sounds of kraut and synthwave are the perfect aural accompaniment to that yearning, to just live the wonder of your imagination. Some of the rest of the record is harder to unpick, like the mental illness depicted in Halo or the inadequate superheroes of the opening track. The sentiment “My superheroes always let me down” is the exact opposite of that fannish wonder. I don’t know what the significance is, but I’m sure there’s a backstory. The title track is easy to grasp in its aching nostalgia for the golden age of cons past. All of that love and commitment that are now only “Ghost in polaroids.” We’re “Not gonna play by Rotsler’s Rules no more.” Sad and yet, somehow, still wonderful. If Games Of The XXI Olympiad was the record where Andrew Coates and James Lee really decided to abandon the guitar and embrace their synthesised Tangerine Dream, Rotsler’s Rules is, again, an eye-opener, because somehow it manages to be even more obsessively electronic. I think you can trace the reason for that to the record’s origins in the sessions where it was jammed out in collaboration with Graeme Pogson, whose work in GL, among other things, revealed him to be a complete fanatic for sounds like electro-boogie and new wave. Maybe revealing its jam session origins, I sometimes wondered if the track demarcations here are kind of arbitrary: as if everyone just agreed to slap down some dividers in this long synthsplosion, just so they could actually deliver some 'songs'. I’d say Rotsler’s Rules will be the closest Black Cab ever come to making a nerdcore record, but for a band as transformative as they are, anything is possible. Who knows where their next dive into the retro-future will take them? Even the solidity of history starts to melt thanks to lyrical retellings like these. I can say that every temporal jaunt I take with Black Cab, backwards, forwards or both at the same time, I’m pretty happy I went." - Chris Cobcroft, 4ZZZ New Releases Show https://4zzz.org.au/program/the-new-releases-show 2022 "Melbourne three piece electro rockers Black Cab (with guests including drummer Graeme Pogson) return with their sixth album, “Rotsler’s Rules”. Blending echoes of the sound of Sheffield with rippling riffs and huge beats, “Rostler’s Rules” rewards playing at high volume. The album title is a tribute to William "Bill" Rotsler, noted sci-fi author, illustrator and creator of the "Rotsler's Rules for Costuming" which set the rules for sci-fi convention cosplay events in the late '70's and '80's - Bill was an intriguing cat! The albums' artwork features an original Bill Rotsler cover illustration from a 1946 sci-fi fanzine called The Acolyte." - Rock Steady Records 2022

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Rotsler's Rules 180gm vinyl

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Celebrate the 1976 Olympic Games the Cab way with a limited edition Games redux crew tee in sexy COAL. Regular fit Crew neck Mid-weight, 180 GSM, 28-singles 100% combed cotton (marles 15% viscose) Neck ribbing, side seamed, shoulder to shoulder tape, double-needle hems, preshrunk to minimise shrinkage

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Limited edition Games tee

First time on vinyl, limited edition 180gm 10th-anniversary vinyl edition of Black Cab's Australian Music Prize shortlisted third album originally released in 2009. Inspired by 1980's East German/DDR state surveillance. Includes digital download. Side 1 Call Signs 0:21 Church In Berlin 4:49 Rescue 4:45 Fates 1:01 Black Angel 4:07 Lost & Falling 4:58 Side 2 Sonnenallee 5:59 Ghost Anthems (feat. Ron S. Peno) 3:45 After the War 5:01 Wires 2 0:30 Sword & Shield 4:48 Reviews for Call Signs "****Melbourne shoegazers hit jackpot with cinematic third album "Following two acclaimed albums in Altamont Diary and Jesus East, Ride/Catherine Wheel-loving Melbournians Black Cab mix and stir their signature ingredients - swirling wall-of-sound guitars, echo-drenched vocals, laidback finger-picking and shimmering electronica flourishes - to neo-shoegaze perfection on LP number three Call Signs. The collective's previous German stints mean there are pronounced Teutonic overtones present on the detached Church In Berlin and oscillating, Tangerine Dream-like instrumentals Dresden Dynamo and Sonnenallee, while the acoustic slide-underscored Black Angel practically outshines nearly everything on BRMC's Howl. As far as the droning guitar halo travels, Rescue, and After The War all outdo each other in the buzz & fuzz stakes and when the said halo slows down and disperses, we get miniatures Fates and the two-part Wires, both being concise mood pieces par excellence. There's even a towering, near-Gregorian chant epic in Lost & Falling; Died Pretty's Ron Peno takes lead vocals on the haunting Ghost Anthems and piano ballad Sword & Shield rounds off the collection in a sublime fashion. Better still, the CD artwork - two military uniform-clad lovers locked in a fond embrace - oozes more Eastern Bloc chic than a dozen select Soviet movies (and this humble writer can attest he's seen more than a few in his lifetime). Just plain damn cool - from reverb and delay pedals with love." - Denis Semchenko/Rave Magazine/August 2009 "Black Cab has a habit of building albums around a central idea. 2004's Altamont Diary scanned the curdled finale of the Stones' infamous 1969 show, whereas 2006's Jesus East cast an ear to sitars, tablas and other droning instruments of India. Call Signs finds inspiration in the imposing government surveillance of 1970's East Germany. While the Melbourne band (singer/programmer Andrew Coates and guitarist James Lee, plus a bevy of collaborators) hesitate to call it concept album, the opening title track features era-authentic radio signals and messages, and Call Signs' working title was 'Church In Berlin' (also the name of a song here). It's a testament to Black Cab's moody prowess that Call Signs isn't bogged down by that dour premise. If anything, it's a cozy fit with the album's late-night fog of cascading delay, layered background noise, glistening guitars and Coates' drowsy baritone. Pitched between M83's gasping synth soundscapes and Mogwai's inky instrumental workouts, these songs mine shoegaze, psych and post-rock earmarks while maintaining, at times, the drive of a pop single. There are also a few interludes acting as segues or change-ups between the album's varying gears. 'Church In Berlin' and 'Rescue' are strong early cuts, the latter churning its bass line for all it's worth. Further along, 'After The War' splashes melodies over taut drums and 'Lost & Falling' positions stalactites of synths alongside squiggles of guitar. Heavily treated and sung as if sharing a state secret, Coates' vocals can be hard to make out, and sometimes they seem more for effect than as a vehicle for lyrics. That makes the presence of instrumentals quite natural: 'Dresden Dynamo' is set to burping keys and sampled voices, while 'Sonnenallee' comes off sounding like a club remix with its big beats. Despite how well Black Cab applies shadows and intrigue, some of Call Signs' most arresting moments arise from clear vocals and lyrics. The best, 'Black Angel', is a homage to the late American folk singer Judee Sill, who's the subject of a new US tribute album called Crayon Angel. It samples her spoken voice - Coates sings as well - and its folk gait was clearly inspired by her, although it could also be read as a return to some of the band's past country-psych influences. There's a wonderfully sour keyboard part, and Sill's voice is handled in a similar manner to Iggy Pop's in Mogwai's 'Punk Rock'. Died Pretty singer Ron Pero lends trawling lead vocals to 'Ghost Anthems', made triumphant with building drums and horn-like synths, but the closing 'Sword & Shield' includes Coates' singing at its least obscured. Moping with considerable elegance over guest Matt Vehl's piano, he seems confident in his voice only with the knowledge that the album is almost done. That's not a flaw; Black Cab delves so intently into effects and programming that it's pointless to imagine the songs without them. This is the band's trademark sound after all, and it's all the headier for its concentrated, tarry consistency.." - CR, Doug Wallen/Mess and Noise/ August 2009 "***** This concept album reflecting the romantically artistic contrasts of Berlin circa 1970 excites the cockles of this music lover's heart. While not a new ideal (they previously released an interpretation of 1969's Altamont tragedy), this is frighteningly realised and accurate, with the excitement one feels when artistically out of depth. Abrasive washes of fuzz and repetition, moments of horn-rimmed intelligence; there's even a track with Ron Peno (Died Pretty) that inspires you to rip the throat from commercial radio who never gave him the recognition. Cool, moody and reeking of an old Gitanes box left by Bowie and Iggy." - Chris Murray, Music Australia Guide Sept 2009 "It's been eighteen years since a crowd of excited German youths did what a combination of western diplomacy and free market rhetoric had failed to achieve - brought down the wall that separated West and East Berlin. With that egregiously symbolic moment came the catalyst for the gradual extinction of the icons of the totalitarian East German state - the neo-Orwellian propaganda, emotionless uniform-clad representatives of a ubiquitous police force, androgynous, steroid-pumped sports stars and dour post-Bauhaus architecture with the artist vibrancy of a concrete slab. It's within that distant cultural and political climate that Black Cab have decided to locate its latest musical opus, Call Signs. Having celebrated and critiqued '60s idealism in Altamont Diaries, and followed that idealism to its eastern fringes on Jesus East, James Lee and Andrew Coates, the protagonists who breathe the artistic life into the Black Cab concept, have now turned their focus to the suppressed beauty of the East German state. The country's totalitarian existence is conveyed in the simple tones of the 20 second opening title track; the rhythm and precision of Church In Berlin falls perfectly in line with the paradox of Soviet realist art, where the smiling faces of humanity both reinforce and undermine the state-sanctioned discourse. Rescue is the proverbial call for help, its pace ebbing and flowing like the human spirit trying to find voice in a dysfunctional cultural landscape. The bleakness of Fates suggests the state has triumphed over that spirit; the Simon and Garfunkel idealistic folk sensibility of Black Angel (a tribute to '70s folk singer Judee Sill) indicates that the war is far from over. Dresden Dynamo sidles into aural view with the enigmatic presence of a Stasi secret agent eavesdropping on a couple of would-be insurgents; Lost And Falling is dark and threatening, like the cold concrete walls of the military cell to which insurgents were regularly condemned - yet, it's with James Lee's guitar that the light that still shines through when hope is all but lost, can be seen. The electronic beats of Sonnenalee could be a confused wander against the tide of the regular daily routine; after the reprise of the minimalist tones of the opening track in Wires, Ron Peno (Died Pretty) adds his typical personal touch to the intense pop-tinged hard-rock of Ghost Anthems. After The War is the calm after the storm of questioning and revolt; Sword And Shield is a sparse statement of romance found amid the ruins of brutal ideological institutions. Love, it seems, can still conquer many things. That there now exists a level of nostalgia for the halcyon days of communist rule says much for the capacity of humanity to ignore the pain of the past when confronted by contemporary socio-economic difficulty. Call Signs isn't a tool of myopic nostalgia Ð the bleakness of the industrial, political and cultural landscape constructed across the album is as obvious as the corruption of the Olympic ideals by the East German sporting machine - but it is a salient reminder that beneath the suffocating discourse and bland architecture lies heart, soul and artistic quality. And Black Cab know where to find it." - Patrick Emery, Beat Magazine. Sept 2009 "On their first two albums, 2004's Altamont Diary and 2006's Jesus East, Melbourne's Black Cab (vocalist Andrew Coates and guitarist James Lee) approached rock'n'roll as a kind of death trip: they tapped into the post-psychedelic heaviness prevalent at the end of the 1960s. If those records had a certain cathartic glamour, their new disc inhabits a murkier landscape. Call Signs, inspired in part by Anna Funder's collection of collaborator's tales Stasiland, is centred on the East Germany of the 1970s, a country where the state's security apparatus was omniscient. There's a latent strain of paranoia in most pop music but it exists on a personal level. Call Signs recasts that mood on a national scale - foreboding rises up from the opening Church in Berlin, with Coates's stentorian cadence circling the guitars. Backed by electronic programming that suggests surveillance, the songs divide between laments for compromised individuals and invocations of the all-powerful system. It's a powerful work of post-punk atmospherics - play it back-to-back with Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's film 'The Lives of Others'." - Craig Matheson, Sydney Morning Herald. 15th Aug 2009 "4.5 stars. Melbourne's Black Cab deliver their third studio album, a dark and loosely romantic journey through rock and electronic beats inspired by 1970s East Germany. Call Signs is as chilling as an Eastern Bloc history lesson, resting its heavy soul on mournful beats and a minimalist rock energy. It pulls its inspiration from the likes of Bauhaus and Suicide. Steered by the talented vocalist and programmer Andrew Coates and guitarist James Lee, a host of musical identities including drummer Richard Andrew (Registered Nurse), bassist Anthony Paine (High Pass Filter), guitarist Alex Jarvis (Alex Jarvis Band) and programmer Steve Law (Zen Paradox) keep this brooding musical trip intact. Rescue is a great track, loaded with haunting vocals and swirling guitars with feedback while Dresden Dynamo makes the most of synthesiser beats. In a nutshell, this is a winner." - Jane Rocca, The West Australian. 13th Aug 2009

Call Signs 180gm (vinyl)

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Australian band Black Cab.

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