Beat Noir

Beat Noir is the fourth studio album by Spahn Ranch, released on October 19, 1998 by Out of Line and Sub/Mission Records.^[2] It was reissued on November 24 of that year by Cleopatra Records.^[3] The final track "An Exit" was licensed to Cleopatra Records to be released on the various artists compilation The Black Bible in 1998.^[4]

Beat Noir
Studio album by Spahn Ranch
Released	October 19, 1998 (1998-10-19)[1]
Recorded	February – August 1998 (1998-08)
Studio	H & H Productions (Mundelein, Illinois)
Genre	Electro-industrial EBM
Length	45:51
Label	Out of Line/Sub/Mission
Producer	Matt Green
Spahn Ranch chronology
Retrofit EP (1998) Beat Noir (1998) Anthology 1992-1994 (2000)
Alternative cover
Cleopatra edition cover

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]

AllMusic gave Beat Noir gave two and a half out of five possible stars.^[5] Music critic Dave Thompson said "from the infectious opening riff of "Fire Lives in the Hearts of All Men," to the near reverent melodies entwined within the synth structure of "Ride like Lightning Crash like Thunder," a tight, edgy, yet absolutely hummable album that is solid throughout."^[6] Ink 19 was negatively critical of the album's misdirected experimentation and claimed that Athan Maroulis' vocal choices were unsuited for the album's genre.^[7]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Fire Lives in the Hearts of All Men"	Matt Green Eric Powell	4:41
2.	"Remnants"	Green Maroulis	5:25
3.	"Rationale"	Green Maroulis	4:38
4.	"The Warmth of Silence"	Green Maroulis	4:38
5.	"Ride Like Lightning Crash Like Thunder"	Green	4:50
6.	"Dubnosis"	Green	4:21
7.	"The Conversation"	Green Maroulis	4:46
8.	"Test My Reaction"	Green Maroulis	4:11
9.	"Well Charged"	Green	4:12
10.	"An Exit"	Green Maroulis	4:10

Accolades

Year	Publication	Country	Accolade	Rank
1998	CMJ New Music Monthly	United States	"Top 25 Dance"	7	[8]
			"CMJ Radio 200"	130	[9]
			"RPM"	9	[10]
"*" denotes an unordered list.

Personnel

Adapted from the Beat Noir liner notes.^[11]

Spahn Ranch

• Matt Green – programming, keyboards, production, mixing
• Harry Lewis – percussion
• Athan Maroulis – lead vocals

Additional performers

• David J – bass guitar (6, 10)
• Eric Powell – programming (1)

Production and design

• Mick Cripps – design
• Eric Fahlborg – mastering
• Steve Tushar – engineering, mixing

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Germany	1998	Out of Line/Sub/Mission	CD	OUT 029, cd WHIP047
United States		Cleopatra		CLP 0420

References

1. Barnhart, Becky (2000). "Schwann Spectrum". Schwann Spectrum. 9 (2). Stereophile, Incorporated: 246. ISBN 9781575980782. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
2. gileZ (May 1996). "Down on the Ranch: An Interview with Athan Maroulis of Spahn Ranch". Cybase23. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
3. Wilson, MacKenzie. "Spahn Ranch > Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
4. Farley, Keith. "Various Artists: Vampire Themes > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
5. "Spahn Ranch: Beat Noir > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
6. Thompson, David (November 1, 2000). Spahn Ranch LPs: Beat Noir (Cleopatra) 1998. Alternative Rock: Third Ear – The Essential Listening Companion. Miller Freeman, Inc. pp. 648–649. ISBN 9780879306076. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
7. Moyer, Matthew (February 11, 1999). "Spahn Ranch: Beat Noir". Ink 19. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
8. Haslett, Tim (July 1997). "Dance Top 25". CMJ New Music Monthly (47). CMJ Network, Inc.: 50. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
9. Jacks, Kelso (December 28, 1998). "Station Profile: CMJ Radio 200". CMJ New Music Monthly (47). CMJ Network, Inc.: 17. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
10. Jacks, Kelso (December 28, 1998). "Station Profile: RPM". CMJ New Music Monthly (47). CMJ Network, Inc.: 26. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
11. Beat Noir (boolet). Spahn Ranch. Berlin, Germany/Firenze, Italy: Out of Line/Sub/Mission. 1998.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

External links

• Beat Noir at iTunes
• Beat Noir at Discogs (list of releases)