None More Black

January 16, 2008 3:01 PM

"It's so black, it's like, how much more black can it be?(youtube link) The Answer is none. None more black." And I have just found out there is a band called None More Black.
posted by hubs (37 comments total)

I just saw that on boingboing and thought "they really should have made a Spinal Tap reference. It would have been perfect."
posted by CitrusFreak12 at 3:02 PM on January 16, 2008

Goth kids everywhere are celebrating (secretely).
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 3:05 PM on January 16, 2008

It's the wild colour scheme that freaks me. I mean, when you try and operate one of these weird black controls which are labeled in black on a black background, a small black light lights up black to tell you you've done it.
posted by Henry C. Mabuse at 3:16 PM on January 16, 2008 [5 favorites]

It's not as black as as priest socks.
posted by acetonic at 3:19 PM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

Wacky. I was just trying to decide what to make for dinner and came across this.
posted by mumkin at 3:29 PM on January 16, 2008

NPR just played the story and they did make the connection.
posted by MtDewd at 3:32 PM on January 16, 2008

The photo in the article is kind of cool, but it would be cooler if they told you what the other two blobs of material actually were.
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 3:35 PM on January 16, 2008

I think it's worth adding some unnecessary details about None More Black. First, it includes the former lead singer of Philadelphia hardcore/punk heroes Kid Dynamite and that break up also spawned a band called Paint It Black.
posted by aubin at 3:39 PM on January 16, 2008

I love the first comment, about what the veriest blackety black stuff could be used for: "ninja suits."

Also, extra props, Henry C. Mabuse, for the veiled Douglas Adams reference. I've got your back on that one.
posted by misha at 3:46 PM on January 16, 2008

It's the color Hotblack Desiato's ship, isn't it?
posted by not_on_display at 3:50 PM on January 16, 2008

Goth kids everywhere are celebrating (secretely).

they're secreting happiness? or something black? that's gross, man.
posted by jonmc at 3:55 PM on January 16, 2008

I heard this on NPR on the way home tonight. Very cool. It is about three times more black, depending upon how you define this, then the most black substance so far. The NPR story used that quote from "Spinal Tap" but the scientist who invented this blackness was unfamiliar with the movie.
posted by caddis at 4:02 PM on January 16, 2008

I bet Southern Lord will produce a line of super limited SunnO))) LP's with an all black gatefold made from this inherently necro substance.
posted by The Straightener at 4:07 PM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

But do they play anything in the key of D? D minor? Cause that's the saddest of all keys.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:11 PM on January 16, 2008

But do they play anything in the key of D? D minor? Cause that's the saddest of all keys.

MetaFilter: Lick my love pump.
posted by secret about box at 4:18 PM on January 16, 2008

Cool! Fuligin.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 4:21 PM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

PUPPET SHOW
AND METAFILTER
posted by Flashman at 4:23 PM on January 16, 2008

The Houston Chronicle writers were witty enough to make the reference...
posted by JibberJabber at 4:23 PM on January 16, 2008

Hilllary gotta stop this attacking Obama through surrogates shit. No, Bill Clinton was not "black". We need to get past talking about "how black" our candidates are.
posted by orthogonality at 4:28 PM on January 16, 2008

The thing about space is, it's black. And the thing about black holes is, they're black.

So how're you supposed to see 'em, eh?
posted by nzero at 4:28 PM on January 16, 2008

The chap on the NPR interview claimed to be unaware of Spinal Tap. Within a couple of days he's going to heard "None more black" so many times he'll be very nostalgic for that state.
posted by Wolfdog at 4:31 PM on January 16, 2008

What does Schooly D have to say about this?
posted by jonmc at 4:32 PM on January 16, 2008

The abstract for the journal article about this is here, with links on the page to the article itself if you have institutional access.
posted by Upton O'Good at 4:59 PM on January 16, 2008

Always bet on black.
posted by ooga_booga at 5:08 PM on January 16, 2008

Here's the H²G² bit with Hotblack Desiato's ship which not_on_display mentioned: "What is this, some kind of galactic hyper-hearse?" "Every time we try to operate one of these black controls which is labeled in black on a black background, a black light lights up black to let you know you've done it!" Classic.
posted by steef at 5:20 PM on January 16, 2008

Oh, and you first, Henry C!
posted by steef at 5:21 PM on January 16, 2008

I was going to post this in almost exactly the same fashion. Well played.

Except the u-tube portion, of course.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:29 PM on January 16, 2008

Joakim Ziegler: "The photo in the article is kind of cool, but it would be cooler if they told you what the other two blobs of material actually were."

If you click the link at the bottom of the article, you're taken to the original Reuters article, which allows you to click the picture to find this caption:

"A National Institute of Standards and Technology reflectance standard (left), a sample of the new darkest material (center), and a piece of glassy carbon (right), taken under a flash light illumination are seen in an undated handout photo. U.S. researchers said on Tuesday they have made the darkest material on Earth, a substance so black it absorbs more than 99.9 percent of light."
posted by symbioid at 6:15 PM on January 16, 2008

symbioid: Ok, but how black is that NIST reflectance standard? Compared to something I know how black is, like, say, Norwegian Black Metal?
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 6:32 PM on January 16, 2008

Perhaps not surprisingly...
posted by Tube at 6:46 PM on January 16, 2008

"The black pudding is very black today, mother. Aye, it's very black, that is. Even the white bits are black."
...
"Mum?"
"Yes dear."
"I don't think I've ever seen a pudding as black as-"
"That's enough Eric!"
posted by maryh at 9:29 PM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

Argghh! My eyes are BLEEDING (MySpace ROCKS!!!)

That being said, these guys are pretty good, if not (more than a bit) retro: very poppy; well worth a listen.
posted by whozyerdaddy at 10:40 PM on January 16, 2008

It's good to know that one no longer needs to visit Death's Kingdom or the Ankh-Morpork Assassin's Guild to be able to see different shades of black. Pratchett will be proud of us for trying to make our world a little more like his.
posted by Reth_Eldirood at 10:56 PM on January 16, 2008 [1 favorite]

well i think it looks like death..
posted by nonemoreblack at 3:01 AM on January 17, 2008 [1 favorite]

Ok, but how black is that NIST reflectance standard? Compared to something I know how black is, like, say, Norwegian Black Metal?
It is actually only about 0.96 Standard Darkthrone Units of blackness, but it has better production values.
posted by Wolfdog at 4:14 AM on January 17, 2008

None More Black would've made a much better name for a blog than 'Eschaton'
posted by Flashman at 5:23 AM on January 17, 2008

30 times darker ought to be enough to pull a good matte, better than having to worry about correcting all the green spill.
posted by StickyCarpet at 8:12 AM on January 17, 2008