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 1970s 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.

by Doug Wallen