Black Angels at the Paradise

The Black Angels show at the Paradise this week was, well, sorta’ stinky. (And no, I’m not referring to the guy next to me whose dinner was definitely disagreeing with him) As much as I love them- yes, I still love them and always will- the Black Angels played like an opening band.

They started off strong with each of the first three songs taken from their three different albums. They kept playing, seemingly enjoying themselves, and the crowd was having fun. But then they played “Manipulation” a classic off of their first album Passover and they lost it. For whatever reason they really screwed up the song, and from there on out the energy was just gone. On top of that, the next song they played, “Yellow Elevator,” is on of the more complex tracks from their newest album, Phosphene Dream. They weren’t comfortable with it, and especially after the mess of “Manipulation” it just didn’t go well.

Alex Maas was having trouble with the microphone- too much reverb, not enough reverb- Nate Ryan couldn’t hear himself on the guitar, Kyle Hunt broke a bass string in the middle of playing “Haunting at 1300 McKinley,” the band just fell apart.

But that’s not to say they didn’t have a few good moments here and there. They did. They were all on key playing Phosphene Dream’s “The Sniper” and they did a great job ending the show with “Young Men Dead.” Overall though, they just weren’t really in the zone.

Black Angels- Phosphene Dream

The Black Angels are at it again! With two AWESOME albums already under their belt, the band has released a third, Phosphene Dream. Black Angels are any music lovers’ dream. With each new album you can hear the band growing together, getting tighter and tighter, and playing around with different sounds while still retaining the dark, droning, psychedelic sound that is Black Angels.
Phosphene Dream has a slightly lighter feel to it than the previous two albums, perhaps because Jennifer Raines, who played the “drone machine,” is no longer in the band (this happened before they recorded). The drone machine is still used occasionally -word on the virtual street has it- by the band’s guitarist Christian Bland.
This switch gives the album a slight bluesy quality, which creeps in with the bass line on the second track, “Haunting at 1300 McKinley,” and continues throughout most the album. It’s not a prominent theme changing the band’s overall tone, but rather it’s a nice additive.
“Bad Vibrations,” the first song on the CD, has the classic Black Angels sound. But if you want to get a taste of the newer stuff, delve deeper and check out “Yellow Elevator #2” and “Sunday Afternoon.” Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, try “Telephone.”
Phosphene Dream is a great album. I’ve been listening to it on repeat and keep finding more fun little rhythms and melodies tucked away in the band’s many layers of sound. The Black Angels have yet to let me down and I can’t wait to hear more!

The Black Angels will be playing a show at the Paradise on November 2 with Black Mountain.

(Black Mountain recently released their new album, Wilderness Heart. If you want to check it out, try “Rollercoaster,” “The Way To Gone,” and “Wilderness Heart.”)