The Black Angels

"Mesculine-infused drone rock” is what is promised and delivered from this Austin-based sextet. With blissed-out spacey guitars and lyrics like "head for the hills” and "don’t stop moving they’re right behind you,” as well as a resident projectionist, it’s the kind of music you would expect to hear at the Whiskey A-Go-Go circa 1967. There’s quite a bit of ’60s psychedelic throwback, with "Manipulation” kicking off with a heavy sitar sound before singer Alex Maas’ sings looming disembodied vocals of "her pale blue eyes” and "orange hair.” The album closes with "A Call to Arms,” ten-minute straightforward rock song with additional vocals from what sounds a lot like Lou Reed (there is no mention in the liner notes). The song then drifts into a lo-fi acoustic track about the Iraq war. "Your son is dead and he’s fighting in Iraq” may not be the most poetic of lyrics but it certainly sends a message, one that’s in keeping with the band’s obvious love affair with protest-era American rock. Psychedelic sounds for the new Vietnam.