Black Is the New Animal: The 10 Best Current Bands That Begin with “Black”

A common strategy in naming bands is using a color to evoke a feeling or image in the listener’s mind, and by far the most common color found in the names of musical acts is black. Nowhere is the multipurpose function of the color black more apparent than in music: Wildly divergent bands, sometimes at near-opposite ends of the musical spectrum, hold this opaque, mysterious color in common.

Today we’ll take a look at the 10 best bands around today that start with the most popular color for a band name: black.

To help narrow the exhausting criteria, we’re ignored bands who are no longer active (Black Sabbath), those who can’t spell “black” (“BLK” or “blak,”), and those that bury their “black” (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Big Black, etc.).

10. Blackalicious
The West Coast rap duo’s head honcho, Gift of Gab, has become better known on his own. But in the vein of other uplifting rap groups like contemporaries Jurassic 5, Gift of Gab pushes his rhymes to the limits with complex words and placement of syllables, layering his dense lyrical wordplay over DJ Chief Xcel’s loping, heavy hip-hop beats. Since forming, the two have always held a positive message in high regard, viewing themselves as the counterbalance to the plethora of anger, violence, misogyny and general anti-intellectualism in mainstream rap culture. While not religious, the content is often spiritual at its core and preaches a message of constant evolution.

Blackalicious - "Make You Feel That Way"

9. Black Moth Super Rainbow
Supremely melodious and supremely weird, Pennsylvania’s Black Moth Super Rainbow is as difficult as it gets to pin down—which is probably the way they like it. Combining fluorescent indie-pop with unpredictable psychedelia and a wide spectrum of electronica ranging from downtempo/lounge to abrasive techno, the amorphous quintet has recently crawled out of their incense-filled lo-fi basement and aimed for a more lush and polished sound. The result was 2009’s Eating Us, which featured a much slicker production and a more reined-in level of weirdness. Keep in mind the oddities that ran amok on their earlier work are still palpable, though, still teeming with buoyant, neon pop melodies and a swirling mix of organic and synthesized instrumentation.

Black Moth Super Rainbow – “Born on a Day the Sun Didn’t Rise”

8. Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
In the ultra-dirty, exuberant funk vein of James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone and George Clinton, but tempered with the powerful blues leanings of Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf, comes this Austin native who puts on one of the biggest parties imaginable and slashes at his guitar like he’s flaying an animal. Tackling a singular subject (partying), Lewis’ effortless amalgam of funk, soul and blues doesn’t just emulate the classics: It truly sounds as though it could have been written in the ’60s. His sophomore record Scandalous ensures the party ain’t goin’ nowhere anytime soon.

Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears – “Sugarfoot”

7. Black Crowes
They may be past their prime, but these Georgia Southern rockers are still together and making music. With Robinson brothers Chris (vocals) and Rich (guitar) at the helm, the jam-heavy ensemble has expanded in recent years to include former North Mississippi All Stars member Luther Dickinson on lead guitar. While the band may never again reach the dizzying heights of gems like “She Talks to Angels” and “Remedy,” it’s noteworthy that their most recent album of all-new material, the double-album Before the Frost… Until the Freeze was not only their strongest musical statement in over a decade but also a live album. For any doubts toward their relevance today, one need only go see a live show to be reminded.

Black Crowes – “I Ain’t Hiding”

6. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
Elements of early-’90s British shoegaze a la My Bloody Valentine and Ride abound in the San Francisco trio’s sound, along with elements of ambient and world music, and in a contemporary sense they’ve drawn comparisons to the Brian Jonestown Massacre. But B.R.M.C. have never stayed put for long: In a wildly diverse string of albums, the band has dabbled with gritty guitar-rock (their self-titled debut), acoustic folk/Americana (Howl) and even sheer noise (The Effects of 333). 2010’s Beat the Devil’s Tattoo was championed as a return to their early heavy shoegaze style.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo”

5. Black Mountain
The psychedelic/progressive rock band from British Columbia comprises five members, including co-ed vocal duo Stephen McBean and Amber Webber. With music that is equal parts vintage guitar riffing and relentlessly spacey soundscapes, Black Mountain retains a clear admiration throughout their body of work for classic boundary-pushing ’70s acts like Pink Floyd and, especially, Led Zeppelin. With the release of last year’s Wilderness Heart, however, the band has managed to distill the classic rock and prog elements into a singular end result by reining in the space and emphasizing the unique dual vocals of McBean and Webber.

Black Mountain – “Wucan”

4. Black Star
This underground rhyming machine comprises rappers Talib Kweli and Mos Def, both of which are strong enough emcees on their own. Combined they’re practically unstoppable, with magnetic interpersonal chemistry and jaw-dropping flow. Though to date they’ve only put out one album together, released in 1998, an appearance on Dave Chappelle’s Block Party in 2006 rejuvenated public interest in the project, which hasn’t waned with the arrival of a new Black Star track last year and an announcement of an upcoming album, reportedly due to drop later this year.

Black Star – “Definition”

3. The Black Lips
Atlanta’s garage-punk quartet The Black Lips play music that’s loud, sloppy, slightly Southern and completely dangerous, and as such they’ve long been an inspiration for smaller bands who prefer to the lo-fi, DIY aesthetic to doing something polished. Renowned for their live antics, Black Lips have gradually gathered notoriety for their rambunctious live performances, even securing a prominent midday set at Lollapalooza this summer. They may never top the charts, but that’s probably the last thing they want to do.

Black Lips – “Modern Art”

2. The Black Angels
Austin’s psychedelic rock five-piece The Black Angels have only been around for five years, but in the time since they’ve established themselves as experts in creating music that blends the classic mystical elements of bands like The Doors and The Velvet Underground with more current styles such as shoegaze and post-rock. With hazy, druggy production and penchant for retro and modern music, further showcased in most recent album Phosphene Dream, The Black Angels have garnered an enthusiastic niche following but have yet to catapult into the mainstream.

The Black Angels – “Black Grease”

1. The Black Keys
After sticking with their purist blues-rock swagger for years, the Akron, Ohio-native duo Dan Auerbach (guitar) and Patrick Carney (drums) have finally climbed from relative obscurity to superstardom. Brothers may have been the group’s tipping point, but their previous albums hit no less hard, wringing enough heavy, blistering sound as a duo to give most quartets a run for their money.

The Black Keys – “I Got Mine”

And the worst band beginning with Black:
The Black-Eyed Peas
The sad thing is, were this about a decade ago, these guys could have been legitimate contenders for the actual Top 10, as will.i.am. and company used to spin intelligent, provocative rhymes and stories that rooted deep into the listener’s subconscious. Then Fergie joined and, within two albums, they had become a vapid chart-topping pop/club act. Their swift and inevitable decline culminated in one of the worst Super Bowl performances in memory.