This was originally written for the CHIRP blog when the album came out about a month ago. So, yeah, this is old news, but I’m posting it on here anyway for your consideration and to consolidate all of my writing in one place. Enjoy!
The Black Angels are neither original nor inventive. But in this case, it’s a-okay, and I’m gonna do something that rarely happens in a world of snarky blogs: make an argument for why derivative can sometimes be a preferred position and why the Black Angels are, in fact, the bee’s knees.
In Captain Beefhart’s Ten Commandments for Guitarists, he decrees that a guitar “is a divining rod, use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over.” The Black Angels take this sentiment to heart, as both their efforts bolster a rather sinister grit bouncing about dark soundscapes, perfect for a séance. Light a candle, dude.
The Black Angels‘ latest, Directions to See a Ghost, a poignant title encapsulating their increasingly distinct desert-noir dusty psych grooves, picks up right where 2006’s Passover left off. Tom-heavy percussion intros, tremolo-saturated guitar meltdowns, nasty bass rumbles, and Alex Maas’ throat offerings (vocals that, to me, flutter somewhere between Jim James and Gregorian chant) are all still intact from the Passover days. However, Directions to See a Ghost does mature in two distinct ways. First, there’s a very fluid motion to the album, connecting each windswept canticle to the next. By structuring and composing most of the album in a similar vein with slightly altering moods, the Black Angels have created a whole, cohesive work as opposed to simply a collection of songs they dropped off at the studio on the way to the store. Of course, a good psych rock record should have a consistent ambiance as per the clientele since, you know, Beck albums are not the weapon of choice for the 420 LOL contingent. Secondly, the Black Angels have adopted a deeper sense of melody. Dare I say some catchiness abounds in the major-key call to arms “Doves,” the evil-Beatles sitar raga of “Dee-Ree-Shee,” and the funkadelic first movement of “Snake in the Grass.” This newmelodic slant pushes the Black Angels above some of their LSD theater contemporaries like Dead Meadow and Bardo Pond.
Now, onto why derivative sometimes holds a relevant place. Every critic has already namedropped their extremely obvious influences (they unabashedly wear them on the sleeves of their black, black tunics), so I’m not going to sift through them all. As a serious psych rock lover, many of my favorite bands only made a small number of great albums, or simply have a small catalogue entirely. Some of these groups suffered from their brainchild going batshit crazy (13th Floor Elevators, Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd, Brian Jonestown Massacre). Some of them decided to completely alter their sound to push units (The Jesus and Mary Chain). Some retreated back into their primordial cave (Loop, Flying Saucer Attack, The Left Banke, half of the original shoegazing movement). Some were too drugged out to get off the couch (Blue Cheer). Seriously, pick your Spinal Tap moment. But here we now have The Black Angels who, in some ways, are like the deus ex machina sweeping in (no pun intended) to correct all these wrongs – releasing the album that many of these bands should have but never did. Don’t you want to hear the new 13th Floor Elevators and Jesus and Mary Chain joints? ‘Cause I do.
Ultimately, If you’re going to emulate and lightly interpret bygone music, why not merge the music of the most triumphant groups ever and mold them into one totally epic behemoth? You know, originality often comes at a cost to the listener. Sometimes it works well and makes an urgent statement, but sometimes it doesn’t and is just overly challenging and annoying (Lou Reed and Tony Conrad anyone?). You know exactly what you’re getting with the Black Angels – no frills – just pop on, flip on the iTunes visualizer, take a bong rip, tune in, turn on, and drop out. And honestly, THAT is what I love the most about Directions to See a Ghost. Despite Directions to See a Ghost being released long after the most vital era of psych, it’s essential listening.
MP3 :::
The Black Angels – Dee Shee Ree
Nice Nico photo, eh? And it’s all up ons with the Brian Jonestown logo. As a matter of fact, the Black Angels are part of the BJM’s Committee to Keep Music Evil, featuring all the neighborhood groups that have either been in the BJM, hang out with the BJM, or are just very big fans. It’s all about community. I can only imagine what their company softball outings are like.
