Do you like The Doors? I don’t. I pretty much hate them. In fact, probably the thing I like the most about them is how mad some people get when you say you don’t like them. Like, really mad. I guess it doesn’t happen as much now that I am older, but back in the day, if I could manage to work something like “Pfffft, The Doors. They aren’t a real rock ’n’ roll band. How can they be a rock ’n’ roll band if they don’t even have a bass player?” into a conversation some people would get super steamed. It was pretty great. Anyway, the whole reason I bring this up is because for some reason, The Black Angels remind me of The Doors, but I really like The Black Angels.
Like I said, I don’t know why I make that connection. They don’t have an organ player, and they most certainly have a bass player. Maybe it’s because I can see singer Alex Maas being a bit of a crooner. But I do know I am really digging the new record, Directions to See a Ghost. They have drenched the songs in reverb and used the same template as the last to create a thumping, droning record that is consistently pretty great from beginning to end. It’s one of those records that you can listen for weeks, and never know, or even care to know, the names of any of the songs. It never makes you want to go to the iPod and look at what song it is, and I don’t think that is a bad thing. I don’t hear any real stand-out cuts on the record, but when I am in the mood for it I’ll listen to the whole thing. And I think it sounds just as good on random, as it does from beginning to end. I don’t really hear any filler, just jams. Do you know what I mean?
The whole record has a primal thump that pulses the whole way through. And because everything is layered up with reverb or delay and feedback, the drones ebb and flow throughout the whole thing. The bass lines are usually a simple 4/5 note pattern and with the simple drums everything takes on a head-nodding pulse. You can barely make out the vocals, and they sound like they were recorded in a cave or something anyway. I bet if you saw these guys live, you wouldn’t be able to make out any of the vocals, just the punctuating shout every now and then. They have created an album full of peaks and valleys, with the songs building up around simple repetitions until they blow open, and then it is back in the valley. However, even though the riffs are simple, they can still drop a nice solo when the song calls for it. Again, in a live setting, I bet these guys can go off. (Whoa, and I was just about to write how I bet they have good visuals live, and just checked their Wiki page and learned they have a projectionist in the band. And, they have a drone machine! No guff.)
They are also a band that sounds like they are from Texas and another thing I can’t put my finger on. Just like 13th Floor Elevators, or Waylon Jennings or Stevie Ray Vaughan sound like they are from Texas, these guys sound like they are from Texas. Maybe it is the reverb, or maybe because they just sound badass, but they sound like Texas. (And yes, I knew they were from Texas before I checked the Wiki).
For their second effort, The Black Angels have put together a really great record that will be perfect for nighttime parties this spring. And for some reason, I think it will sound better and make you feel pretty cool if you are wearing an old jean jacket. And I would bet my paycheck, like most great psych-rock bands, that if they come to town, it would be a pretty safe bet that what they have put down on record is going to translate into a pretty killer live show. If someone reading this goes to see them, let me know if I am right.
Directions to See a Ghost is out May 13, 2008, on Light in the Attic.
More on The Black Angels here: myspace.com/theblackangels
Download: "Doves" from Directions to See a Ghost – [mp3]
