Austin’s own purveyors of all things psychedelic, colourful and gyrating return with their fifth full length LP to date and the follow-up to 2013’s Indigo Meadow. It’s been a while since The Black Angels have surfaced, following the 2014 EP Clear Lake Forest, the band have have ducked beneath the radar, opting to focus on other projects such as guitarist Christian Bland’s solo project. The band always have been intent on salsa-dancing their way through the realms of psychedelia, picking at the lightness and darkness within the genre with impressive ease. Phosphene Dream found points between The 13th Floor Elevators and The Electric Prunes whereas Directions To See A Ghost felt murkier and more sadistic. Death Song though feels like a step further for the band whilst never stepping too far outside the remit of what they are expected to produce – in essence, it’s The Black Angels crafted with a touch more torque.

The opener, ‘Currency’ is a vital introduction to the album; guitar and rhythm welts with as much aggression and venom as the likes of ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ did previously. Guitars cyclone behind a whirlwind of rhythm whilst frontman, Alex Maas, reels off issues circling the American financial system as if he played an extra in The Big Short: “I can see currency how it always sanctions us / All these paper lives you've sold / There's no God in who you trust”.

‘I’d Kill For Her’ meanwhile dances through howling guitar lines and Maas’ trembling voice resonates with the blues tincture that the band prophesied throughout Phosphene Dream, something cautiously chaotic. ‘Half Believing’ edges around the heavy reverb of Maas’ vocals, lyrics are plagued in insecurity and talk of love lost: “All these little things yeah, these pretty things that / Make us lose our minds, steal your thoughts in time”. This emphasises the skill of The Black Angels –  hiding the humane behind a wall of artful deception, mortal feelings disguised behind music. 

Psychedelia and, in particular, groups from the Deep South have had an obsession with Native American culture, a notion that resonates on ‘Comanche Moon’ as Maas relives the horrors of war from the perspective of Native Americans: “They’ve stolen the land, we’ve been rolled on / I swear it’s the end of the line”. ‘Hunt Me Down’ evidences the group’s cut back to earlier Passover material with its thick, gunky bassline whereas ‘Grab as Much (as you can)’ feels closer to European and Scandinavian takes on psychedelia. The progressiveness in The Black Angels’ sound nods particularly towards that of Rocket Recordings’ finest Josefin Öhrn on this number with its off-tempo rhythm and stripped back melody. 

Tracks such as ‘Estimate’ bring about the less accessible sounds of the band. Removing the chorus and pushing the time-length further hark back to the group’s lengthier material such as ‘Never/Ever’. The longer length adds intrigue though with The Black Angels you don’t want it to always be immediate and easy or else you’d feel you were somehow bending the rules and catching them unaware. On previous efforts, the longer tracks have occasionally suffered due to lo-fi production but with Phil Ek (Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes, The Shins) on production duties this time, sounds are brought forward in the mix and dynamics accentuated. In other words the drone doesn’t become beige but emphasises Death Song’s other colours.

‘I Dreamt’ stands out as another example of the band taking their trademark sound to the next level, maintaining everything you would expect from The Black Angels but giving their fanbase a fresh taste. Guitars hurricane around, morphing obscure sounds from the walls and ceiling whilst basslines swarm through the floorboards. ‘Medicine’ does similar to ‘Estimate’, with a new higher-quality production, original Angels’ sounds feel vibrant. The real stand out slice of The Black Angels’ material, for me, generally lurks as the final track and Death Song provides no different. ‘Life Song’ is 2017’s version of ‘Snake In The Grass’ (Directions To See A Ghost) and ‘Call To Arms’ (Passover) – it is woozy, sadistically seductive and desperately loving whilst, simultaneously, dreadfully isolating. Maas’ lyrics reel off like a merciless lullaby: “I’m dying to say / I love you, anyway / Even though, you’re simply off to die”.

The Black Angels have brought about their most complete record to date. It is everything you’d expect from the band that have now existed for 13 years – it is experimental psychedelia but a sound unequivocally unique to them. How they twist psychedelia is unlike any other band, cautious with dynamic, and sensitive with sound; now with the touch of quality production, their sound reaches fresh levels. Making the humane the lyrical subject whilst being deceptive in how they hide feeling, this is a must buy on Record Store Day this year.
Tom Churchill

Website: theblackangels.com
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