Delivering a bombastic sound, the Black Angels fall somewhere between the remnants of 60s psychedelic rock with their droning rhythms and something completely new. As most bands take from the past, there's no doubt that there are elements on their new album Passover that take from previous generations of rock, even from the present crop of garage rock influenced bands, but the Black Angels bring it with a fury, intensity, precision, and authenticity rarely heard these days.
Born in Austin, Texas, in 2004, Stephanie Bailey (drums & percussion), Christian Bland (guitar), Kyle Hunt (keyboards, percussion, bass, guitar), Alex Maas (vocals), Jennifer Raines (the drone machine/organ), Nate Ryan (bass, guitar) have produced an album that celebrates the 60s, bringing a Velvet Underground feel to their music. While that makes them endearing it also gets a little annoying after a few songs. Stand out tracks "Black Grease" and "Prodigal Son" seem to sum up the best of what they are going for. Surprisingly political at times "The First Vietnamese War," "Young Men Dead," and "Sniper at the Gates of Dawn" are all war torn diatribes against I would guess the Iraq War and the Bush Administration. Aside from all that, the Black Angels album draws it's listeners in with simple and catchy licks, a big sound, and some steady groove. |