The Black Angels
Passover
(Light in the Attic)
The psychedelic pop revival of the last several years has offered up some great music. Much like the original 1960s genre, the tunes today divide up into two camps: the dark and the light. By virtue of the name alone, The Black Angels belong in the former category. Passover is the Austin, Texas outfit’s first full-length. Coming third and fourth in the album order, The Sniper at the Gates of Heaven and The Prodigal Sun epitomize the band’s droning sound. Nothing upbeat and uptempo here so don’t bother scanning through. You’ve got to really love the darker side—or really be tired of your Brian Jonestown Massacre albums—to get through all 10 of these tracks without first turning it down and then finally turning it off.
—Sean Flinn
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.