''Blackbox'' is the fourth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

of the Norwegian band

Major Parkinson Major Parkinson is a Norwegian rock group currently based in Bergen. History Major Parkinson was started in 2003 by Jon Ivar Kollbotn, Eivind Gammersvik, André Lund and Jan Are Rønhovde. In the same year, they won the Eggstock festival in Berg ...

. It was released on 27 October 2017. The album features a new lineup and has an emphasis on dark, ambient electronica mixed with pop and prog rock. The critical reception to the album has been positive. In 2023, ''

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

'' mentioned the album in their list of the best progressive rock & metal albums of each year since 1983.https://loudwire.com/best-progressive-rock-metal-album-each-year/

Track listing

# "Lover, Lower Me Down!" # "Night Hitcher" # "Before the Helmets" # "Isabel: A Report to an Academy" # "Scenes from Edison's Black Maria" # "Madeleine Crumbles" # "Baseball" # "Strawberry Suicide" # "Blackbox"

Cultural references

Just like Twilight Cinema, Blackbox features many cultural references, mostly from 19th and 20th century historical figures. The opening title "Lover, Lower Me Down!" includes a play on The Old Man and the Sea by

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

, while Hemingway himself is later mentioned in "Baseball". Several philosophers are named in "Isabel: A Report to an Academy" -

Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...

, Nietsche, Heidegger,

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia *Russell, Australian Capital Territory *Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **Ru ...

, while works by Salvador Dali, René Magritte and Hieronymus Bosch are referenced.

Personnel

; Major Parkinson * Jon Ivar Kolbotn – Lead vocals, lyrics, songwriting, arrangement * Eivind Gammersvik – Bass, production, arrangement, backing vocals * Lars Bjørknes – Piano, synth, organs, programming, notation, backing vocals * Sondre Skollevoll – Guitars, backing vocals, additional synths, arrangement, microKORG (track 4) * Sondre Sagstad Veland – Drums, perc, typewriter, arrangement, backing vocals * Øystein Bech-Eriksen – Guitars, arrangement * Claudia Cox: – Violin, backing vocals, arrangement ; Additional personnel * Linn Frøkedal – Lead vocals * Carmen Boveda – Cello * Jonas Flemsæter Hamre – Saxophone * Joar Lemme – Trombone * Gunleik Gisletveit – Tuba * Logan Arndt – French horn * Andreas Hesselberg Hatzikiriakidis – Trumpet * Nataniel Hjønnevåg – Xylophone * Thomas Rolland aka Lip Shaw – Whistling * Megan Kovacs – Backing vocals
Female choir by Volve Vokal: * Thea Meidell Sjule * Idunn Strøm Myklebust * Frida Ekerhovd * Kaja Linder Henriksen * Ann Christin Jenssen * Kristine Norebø * Signe Wiger * Kine Granum * Malene Moen Sætre * Solveig Foldnes Dybsland

References

2017 albums Major Parkinson albums {{2010s-rock-album-stub