On their fourth album Indigo Meadow, the Black Angels have kept all of the echo, fuzz, and organ-wailing they’re known for, but added a tighter sound and clearer vocals. It’s obvious the band’s heroes are ahead-of-their-time legends like the 13th Floor Elevators, the Velvet Underground, and the Stooges, but the Angels don’t sound dated while renovating the psych-garage punk genre. Every song on Indigo Meadow flat out rocks, especially the title track and the lead single “Don’t Play With Guns.” There are also a few kinder, gentler numbers here, like “Love Me Forever” with its Beatles-style chord progressions and “You’re Mine,” which contains traces of the Moody Blues in its melody and chorus. Despite the fact that their influences are rather blatant, the Black Angels’ fresh outlook and execution are kicking psych rock’s ass out of the past and into the future.
The Black Angels | Indigo Meadow, $7.99, amazon.com
By Michael Levine
This review appears in the Apr/May 2013 issue of BUST Magazine with cover girl Grimes. Subscribe now.
