The Black Angels – Indigo Meadow

Tribal drumming, reverb, nonchalant vocals, fuzzy guitars, organ, abstract lyrics about guns and murder, Austin psych revivalists The Black Angels tick all the psych-rock boxes and present it in a neat package.  They sit closer to The Doors than the far-out experimental approach of Spacemen 3 who specialised in drug-induced stratified guitar riffs that twisted the listener’s mind, but they attempt to blend both influences.

Evil Things is one of the highlights, starting out like Young Men Dead from first album Passover for a moment before evolving, as soaring guitars dissolve into Alex Maas’ vocals.  His voice is a feature that helps set The Black Angels apart from similar psych-rock bands; it is at once laid-back yet unsettling as you’re never quite sure when one of his vocal tics will appear in the form of a bark or scream, at times he even manages to sound like he’s singing underwater, which strangely seems to work.

The pace is lowered for Holland, a song that allows for nice interplay between organ, drums and guitar, with Maas repeating, “I’d rather die than be with you tonight,” throughout the song.  On occasion Indigo Meadow has its lighter moments, Asian sounding guitar working well on Love Me Forever and a light airy feel that leans towards a surf rock sound on The Day, a song that floats along with the help of backing vocals and jangly guitars.

As first single from the album Don’t Play with Guns has received a lot of attention due to the current push for changes to American gun laws, it is unclear whether it was intended as social commentary or simply good old-fashioned sinister song writing as he sings; "Now Josephine, she was a loner/Her fortune of incredible lies /Her problems are now your problems/I hide a gun until the day she dies."

Either way it is one of the brighter moments on what is a slightly repetitive album. It lacks the punch of standout songs from previous releases such as, Bad Vibrations or Science Killer.  However, it should please their loyal psych-rock following and is another solid album that will provide more songs to beef up their live set.

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By Garrett Hargan