Altsounds - The Black Angels

‘Doves,’ taken from The Black Angels’ sophomore album ‘Directions to See a Ghost,’ is apparently their “interpretation of love”. Well, lyrically that may be so (see “Like two little doves, I’m in love, I thought you were mine, well some, some think you’re hollow, open your mind, we need you to fly”), but musically this band are no balladeers. So many bands have turned to the dark side lately and are now back in black (The Black Keys, Lips and Kids to name just three), but none of them look as good in black as the Angels. Pitched perfectly in between The Velvet Underground and The Warlocks, The Black Angels convey their divine message as darkly as their name suggests, and the misleadingly entitled ‘Doves’ is no different.

Fans of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, early The Dandy Warhols and even Secret Machines will love the cool drone rock of ‘Doves’, with its drugged up beats and supernatural organ; it’s an intoxicating sound. They do nothing too elaborate musically, they don’t show off over-fussy technical abilities; they simply create a wonderful wall of shadowy sound, accompanied by Alex Mass’ unusual vocals (think Eamon Hamilton from The Brakes without sounding like he has mental issues)

B-side ‘Drone in G# Major’ is just as good, and is even more under the influence than ‘Doves’. Written when the band spent time aboard an alien spaceship in the 70’s, doing opium….probably. Wherever it was written, it now belongs in one place – your record collection.

http://www.myspace.com/theblackangels