It has been described as "The Allman Brothers meets Pink Floyd" and Jennings himself has compared it to Nine Inch Nails. He also said it would be a concept album, stating "The whole album is kind of this big concept record about truth, and about the importance of love and two people connecting. It’s masqueraded as this kind of futuristic story that goes on with this guy. As a whole, I believe it is something that is a really cool piece of art." The website bloody-disgusting.com said of the album's style, "Musically, Black Ribbons is a mind-blowing opus that completely obliterates genre distinctions. On this unprecedented work, twanging dobros coexist with Nintendo chipsets; brutally assaultive passages alternate with moments of unabashed tenderness, and surreal Floydian soundscapes float above smoking slabs of whiskey-soaked southern soul. It's an electrifying thrill ride across a dense, dark and gloriously decadent musical landscape." He later told Billboard, "I've always been drawn to the darker side of things. When I was doing this record, I was reading a lot on everything, from past civilizations to government conspiracies to UFOs to the brief history of time to books on the occult. I was soaking up this dark counterculture of the world. We're in a very grim time. So I needed to paint the grim picture to let the colors of the positive message of the record shine." Jennings told The Washington Post'', "I think the whole thing is a metaphor for how hard it's been to get my voice heard. Whether it's a success or not, at the end of the day I know that I didn't play by anyone's expectations. This is the anti-expectations album." Jennings and the band were going to perform the album live, during a release party at the Viper Room in Los Angeles on March 3, 2010 but they had to cancel it, due to a scheduling conflict.
Concept
The album is set in the near future and is a broadcast by fictional disc jockey "Will 'o the Wisp", during his last night on the air before the U.S. Government takes control of the airwaves. He has vowed to play the one band the American government does not want him to play.
Stephen King
In February 2009, it was announced that writer Stephen King would play a major role in the album. According to the Associated Press, "King is the voice of Will O' The Wisp, a radio talk-show host being phased out by government censorship. He spends his last hour on the air delivering a diatribe about the decline of America, and playing the music from a radical band, Hierophant." Jennings also said King rewrote portions of the narration, saying "He took what I'd done, doctored it and made it his own. He threw in some awesome lines. That made me feel vindicated for any frustration I'd felt. It told me I really was on the right path." King said, "It's a tremendously spooky idea. He sent me a draft, and it was just about perfect. I altered a few things and expanded some of it, but he knew exactly what he wanted.... To me, it was brilliant, the way the talk and the music weave in and out." King is a fan of Jennings and even mentioned him in his novel Lisey's Story.
Track listing
Singles
The track "Wake Up" was released as a digital single on December 22, 2009 with the following track listing:
1. Wake Up
2. Wake Up
Releases
The album was released as both a CD and as a vinyl record.
