The Black Angels: 'Wilderness Of Mirrors'
Alex Tadros
The psych scene has had its ups and downs, a few years back you’d be hard-pressed not to find a band touring grassroots music venues that didn’t showcase a droning fuzz labelled as psychedelia. The Black Angels are cited as influencers in these scenes time and time again. Where most of those young bands have either dropped off or re-developed their sound to fit in with the post-punk surge of post-lockdown days; The Black Angels remain true to their psych roots.
‘Without a Trace’, the first track from their latest LP ‘Wilderness of Mirrors’ tricks you into thinking you're about to enter some keyboard-focused light psychedelia, and then their signature bass comes in. They push their boundaries around quite a lot on the record but refrain from departing from their sonic signatures and psychedelic influences for the most part. And why should they - singer Alex Maas gives long-term fans a taste of that beloved ‘Entrance Song’ spoken-word style here and there as guitar tones spit out panels of fuzz and drone.
However, the production of tracks such as ‘El Jardin’, ‘Here & Now’, and ‘100 Flowers of Paracusia’ departs from this. They all test uplifting melodies, featuring paisley-era keyboard tones and some new experimentation in acoustic guitar tracks. ‘100 Flowers of Paracusia’ revels in early eastern psychedelia, a revolver moment in the band's album development. Further departing from the band's standard production methods ‘Firefly’ is an ode to French ‘60s pomp, they bring in Thievery Corporation's LouLou Ghelichkhani to support on vocals.
Not to say that the album isn’t packed full of droning mellotron and a bass tone with more fuzz than a frightened cat. Lovers of the band's bluesier riffs haven’t been left out either, tracks like ‘Icon’ and ‘History of the Future’ give out plenty, adding to the album's versatility, ensuring no fans are left out.
It’s a perfectly weighted mixture of a band that has perfected a dark psych tone, exploring the outer edges of the whole psychedelic genre. It’s got flower power, eastern drone & industrial acid flashback rolled in one; a fantastic adventure in modern psychedelia.
It’s been five years since the band's last album, and as with many recent artistic releases, the insane political pandemic period has had an effect. In that five years, post-punk quirk has taken over a lot of the alternative music scene's output; an apt response perhaps matching the weirdness of the political scene. The Black Angels aren’t here to be weird or make fun, they’re here to shout and shake in the gloom.
