The Black Angels
Death Song

The history of our planet (I'll narrow the discussion to planetary boundaries, otherwise we'll never finish) has largely been determined by atmospheric and meteorological events.

These have variably marked, depending on their intensity, the transition from one geological era to another, just as they can, at the same time, influence, in our small way, our daily individual existence.

In my opinion, the most influential band of the last ten years has been the Black Angels from Austin, Texas, United States of America. From their debut album, 'Passover' in 2006 to 'Phosphene Dream' in 2010 (in between: 'Directions to See a Ghost' in 2008), the quartet has consecutively produced three LPs that have revolutionized the alternative music scene in the United States and greatly revitalized neo-psychedelia, which since then has become first a cult object for a few, then a real fashion in the more alternative environments of the United States of America and the European continent.

The importance of the Black Angels has been central to the movement. To understand what we're talking about, we must not only consider their discographic production but also the role they have played in safeguarding and reviving the Texan psychedelic culture of the sixties, starting from the forefathers of the genre, the 13th Floor Elevators of guru Roky Erickson (with whom they also had the chance to share the stage), and making Austin, Texas once again the center of the world for psychedelic rock.

The group's role in the birth and growth, the development since 2008 of the Austin Psych Fest has been decisive. Since then, the festival has seen some of the greatest and most important bands of the genre take the stage: from the Brian Jonestown Massacre to Black Mountain, Roky Erickson himself to a legend like Silver Apples; the Warlocks, Spiritualized, Primal Scream, Olivia Tremor Control, Dandy Warhols, Loop, Flaming Lips, Jesus and Mary Chain...

In imitation of the original model, the same festival ('Levitation') has been organized in the cities of Angers in France, Chicago, Vancouver in Canada. More or less small festivals dedicated to the genre have sprung up variously across the North American continent and Europe. In South America.

Somehow, this phenomenon hasn't stopped yet, although as often happens, now that it would have reached its peak in terms of popularity and spread, it somehow, on an artistic and content level, arrives now at the moment of reckoning. On one hand, new and old bands are looking for new formulas by moving away from the original contents of this revival; on the other hand, we are faced with what someone might define as a drop in inspiration, but which I believe is simply the exhaustion of a certain verve, and that inevitably is also reflected on the content level.

In a vision of things that might appear somehow significant on a symbolic level, the 2016 edition of the festival (which was supposed to feature, among others, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, Slowdive, Dungen, Animal Collective, Brian Wilson...) was canceled due to meteorological events, particularly the situation dictated by the danger of heavy and incessant rains that would have made the area unstable and unsafe for a possible flooding of the Colorado River. This was followed, as far as I know, by legally unspecified issues (as far as my knowledge goes) involving the festival organizers and that in any case marked the end of this experience.

One year later, and four years since the release of 'Indigo Meadow' (produced by John Congleton), the last studio album by the Black Angels, with which the band shifted towards easier sounds, favoring the proposition of shorter songs and in a more traditional form compared to the past, the Austin quartet composed of Alex Maas, Christian Bland, Kyle Hunt, and Stephanie Bailey returns with a new LP titled 'Death Song' released on Partisan Records.

The album somehow sounds less forcibly vintage and garage compared to 'Indigo Meadow', which made these two particular characteristics its strength, but at the same time doesn't abandon that priority dedicated to respecting the song form and that more radio-friendly approach that marked the 2013 turnaround.

From the very first notes, 'Death Song' somehow appears to try to position itself as a meeting point between the sounds of the early records of the group and those of 'Indigo Meadow', but the attempt translates into sounds that are somehow claustrophobic and manneristic, reminiscent of the easier alternative rock attempts of the last few years, starting from that typically Interpol, Editors darkness to the more indie crop of the Black Keys.

Here and there those typical 13th Floor Elevators-derived 'oscillations' resonate in the same 'Death Song' or 'Estimate', and those evocations of the rock-blues spirit of Jim Morrison and the Doors that have always been another of their trademarks, but the album, on the whole, consistently misses the mark and makes choices that appear somehow if not wrong, at least insufficient both on an emotional level and on the pure psychedelic 'groove' level.

I don't know if 'Death Song' opens a new era in the history of the Black Angels, but I have two certainties: the first is that this album, although it will be listened to a lot and perhaps receive good recognition, will never be as influential as the group's early works. The second certainty is that unfortunately, this album is bad, and this is a fact that goes beyond any purpose and genre definition.