Through the course of their decade-long history, The Black Angels have established themselves as a distinctive and formidable presence in neo-psychedelia. While 2010’s Phosphene Dream found them moving away from the heavy-drone workouts of their first two albums and into a more condensed, garage-inflected side of their sound, their fourth album, Indigo Meadow, is a full-blown garage-channelling long player.
Central to the album’s sound is the prominence of organ in the mix on a lot of the tracks. The stabs at the keys during Don’t Play With Guns accentuate the sinister vibe of the song. I Hear Colors is pushed along by a swirling keyboard riff that gives it the feeling of a great lost piece of late-’60s pop-psych.
Sounds of the late ’60s are prevalent elsewhere on Indigo Meadow. The Day and Broken Soldier are both very good approximations of The Doors, right down to Alex Maas’ phrasing and deep baritone drawl. The verses of War On Holiday channel Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd before the chorus gets far heavier than they ever did on record.
Several songs, including the title track, Evil Things and Twisted Light pump the band’s signature sound up with a heavy punch of psychotic beats and howls.
While some acts in this genre tend to falter after a couple of albums due to a limited number of ideas, The Black Angels have continued to undergo a steady musical evolution. Already a mesmerising live act, the idea of The Black Angels adding a big dose of these tracks to the mix is tantalising.
BY MICHAEL HARTT
Best Track: Holland
If You Like These, You’ll Like This: BLACK LIPS, DEAD MEADOW, Nuggets
In A Word: Sinister
