X, the L.A. rock legends, are about to embark on their farewell tour this July. But before they go, they have one final treat for their dedicated fans— their final album, Smoke & Fiction, will be released on August 2nd, and fans can now enjoy the first single, “Big Black X.”
“Big Black X” is basically the story of how the band got together. According to consequence.net, Exene Cervenka’s lead vocals tell the listeners some of the band’s best memories from their early days together. Cervenka’s vocals, blended with singer/bassist John Doe’s harmonies, Billy Zoom’s iconic guitar riffs, and drummer DJ Bonebrake’s steadfast rhythms, make this track into an ode to the band’s journey.
The accompanying music video for “Big Black X,” according to consequence.net, is a “reflection on the band’s formative years in Hollywood,” and the old school edits remind viewers of the band’s 1986 documentary, X: The Unheard Music. The directors of the video, Gilbert Trejo and Shane McKenzie, wanted the video to be “a tornado of past and present.” The whole video, like the song is a reminder of how far X has come since their formation, and of all of the wonderful memories they’ve made along the way.
Cervenka reflects on the band’s formation and journey is the press announcement surrounding the album, as reported by consequence.net. She states, “X is a great band name; also a bad idea sometimes when it gets lost in print or on the marquee. Gotta have a sense of humor. We all did in the early days. Los Angeles was a carnival of weirdness back then, with left over traces of silent movie stars, long haired hippies, bikers, and brand new self-defined punks doing anything we wanted. When we started touring the country we found like-minded people everywhere, and somehow they all found us. Even if the X was lost on the old marquee.”
Smoke & Fiction is guaranteed to be a grand culmination of a legendary 40 year career. It looks like X is ready to give their fans a farewell they will never forget.
Smoke & Fiction Tracklist:
01. Ruby Church
02. Sweet Til The Bitter End
03. The Way It Is
04. Flipside
05. Big Black X
06. Smoke & Fiction
07. Struggle
08. Winding Up the Time
09. Face in the Moon
10. Baby & All
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