Black Angels / Death Song
Label: Partisan

Reviewed by: DJ Stace
5/8/2017

Austin Texas’ Black Angels return with their first full length in four years, full of their signature tribal trance psych stadium rock sound. It also make’s crystal clear where their name comes from (Velvet Underground’s “Black Angel’s Death Song). Recorded during last year’s chaotic election cycle, you can definitely hear the anxiety, here. Lot’s of cathedralesque, tribal beat, psych indie rock.

RIYL: Velvet Underground, Loop, Hair & Skin Trading Company, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, eating mescaline, smoking pot and driving across the desert.

FFC Clean
Favs: 1,2

1. Currency 5:17 *** - Big, epic, rocking psychadelic dronefest. Single #1 from the album
2. I’d Kill for Her 3:38 ** - Accessible mid-tempo psych-rock. Single #2
3. Half Believing 4:21 - Slow, building. Starts simple with some jangly guitar and vocals. Kicks into full throttle at about 1:35. Alternates between cavernous quiet and big stadium-style soaring guitar tribal drone.
4. Comanche Moon 4:52 * - Starts a bit “Big Star” jangly. Quiet verses with big, crashy cymbal wardance mode chorus’. Blast off!
5. Hunt Me Down 3:54 - Rocking up-tempo head nodder. Some great guitar hooks, here.
6. Grab as Much (as you can) 3:52 - Tribal beat, pleading lyrics, spacey guitars. No th estrongest track on the record.
7. Estimate 5:10 - Church organ intro gives way to snare and strumming guitar that might feel at home in a Sergio Leone inspired film. Monotonous, trance-inducing.
8. I Dreamt 4:23 - Mid to up-temo monotonous trance drum and bass beat. Guitar gets a bit more inspired and emphatic towards the end, but nothing to really hook you, here.
9. Medicine 3:32 - Up-temp rocker, reminds a bit of Jesus & Mary Chain. Droning, repetitive. Something a little Doors-like in this. Maybe it’s the Manzarek keyboards.
10. Death March 3:25 - Good lick marching to it. Echoing and sustained vocals, lots of fuzz and reverb guitar. Cue the oil lamp light show.
11. Life Song 6:31 - Thought it might be some homage to Velvet Underground’s “Black Angel’s Death Song,” but if it is, I don’t hear it. Slow, plodding psych-rock strumming guitars and soaring accompaniments. Ends the album with “…I’ll see you on the other side.”