The Black Angels have, in the past, been indicted by music
media on charges of plundering old sounds and styles from the past – The Doors
being the most popular victims – and turning it into a career. This makes about
as much sense as being indicted on charges of being musicians in the 21st
century, so with that in mind, I’m going to proceed under the old adage that
they are innocent until proven guilty. On April 2, they released their fourth
LP, Indigo Meadow, and it brings me
great pleasure to report that it does not fall short of the lofty expectations I
had for it.
They’ve always been a band with a message. Their debut
album, Passover, is arguably the best
album I’ve ever heard, but inarguably a very, very anti-war piece of work. This
time around is no different. The message is, pretty simply, that guns are
stupid. If you don’t agree with this message, that’s fine, and since I’m only
relaying their message and not preaching it myself I’m going to rely on another
old adage to keep you reading: don’t kill the messenger. This message of theirs
is delivered to us in many different ways; subtly, like on the 2nd
track “Evil Things,” when they remind us over and over that “Love is your gun;”
obviously, like on the 3rd track “Don’t Play With Guns,” when the
chorus repeats “Don’t play with guns/don’t play with guns” in a sing-song manner;
and in a subtle-obvious hybrid of a message when, on the 9th track “Broken
Soldier,” they wonder “How can you kill when you don’t know whose side you’re
on.”
I can’t sum up The Black Angels in one track, but I can come
pretty damn close. The 11th track, “Twisted Light,” could be the
best song they’ve ever written. It begins in a very “Strawberry Fields”-like
manner, with psychedelic keyboards and distorted guitar and beckoning lyrics, and
near the thirty-second mark, they drop a heavy, heavy guitar riff that seems to
come out of nowhere. If they never play another riff like that ever again I’d
be satisfied; it’s a goosebump-inducing slice of brilliance and perfect within
the context of the song.
I mentioned “Strawberry Fields,” above, and in case the
quotations didn’t give it away, I was referring to that song by The Beatles. I
make sure to tread lightly whenever I mention The Beatles because apparently
they are Gods and just plain off-limits when it comes to criticism, but I’ve
always felt that their music lacks a certain “oomph.” Have The Black Angels discovered
that and recorded Indigo Meadow accordingly?
They may have, because – and I don’t mean to use this review as a platform for an
anti-Beatles tirade – Indigo Meadow
is a Beatles-influenced example of musical evolution. It’s The White Album with the benefits of modern-day recording
technology. Harmony, meet hard rock.
Other highlights of the album are the 2nd track, “Evil
Things,” and the 4th track, “Holland.” “Evil Things” is an example
of the perfection that occurs when Stephanie Bailey’s drums and Christian Bland’s
guitar are the focus of the song. It hits hard; I could listen to this song
every day for the rest of my life, assuming I don’t get shipped off to the
loony bin for suggesting that The Beatles can and have been improved upon. “Holland”
is another example of Bailey and Bland leading the way. The rhythm is
beautiful; it’s haunting and cryptic in a way that few bands other than The
Black Angels can pull off.
After “Holland,” from pretty much the 5th track
on, I can understand the accusations brought forth against them. It’s heavily,
heavily Beatles-influenced. Fine. But I’m going to have to find them not-guilty
on the charges of musical plundering on the grounds that if a band can
acknowledge musical greatness and find a way to improve upon it, they should be
applauded, and not become scapegoats for doing things that other bands have
tried and failed to do.
Grade: A-
