Back with their first record in four years, is Austin based Psych-Rockers, The Black Angels. ‘Death Song’ will be released through Partisan Records on 21st April, with a special edition version following on Record Store Day, the day after.
The band, now with a substantial back catalogue behind them will headline this year’s Liverpool Psych Fest in September, with a sound from the new album that will bounce off the walls of the festival firing psychedelic bullets into your senses.
‘Currency’ a single and the early lead song kicks off the album with a sonic abrasiveness to raise the hairs on the back of your neck, this then gets surpassed with the powerful “I’d Kill for Her’ with its screaming guitars. ‘Half Believing’ is menacing and is followed by ‘Comanche Moon’ tackling the United States' history of genocide against Native Americans. Dark topics indeed.
The Black Angels are back and in fine form, Produced by Phil Ek who has worked with the likes of Father John Misty, Fleet Foxes, and the The Shins, ‘Death Song’ is a totally different sphere sound wise, it’s turned out to be a really dynamic record.
We would never expect The Black Angels to change direction to give us a album of ballads or pop songs, so it must be a challenge to always create something new but, on this album there is such a fresh fuzzed landscape that it could easily become one of the band’s best records.
‘I Dreamt’ delivers a ‘Moon Duo’ daze and is just a dream track to shut your eyes to, then comes the onslaught that is ‘medicine’ and it eyes wide open, jumping around the room again.
The album closes with 'Life Song', six and a half minutes of Floyd influenced psych and a fitting conclusion.
As mentioned, on 22nd April 22nd, a special limited edition release of ‘Death Song’ will be made available for Record Store Day, including the new album on two glow-in-the-dark vinyl LPs and packaging printed entirely in blacklight-reactive ink. There’s another one for the shopping list!
Pete
9/11
