The Black Angels
Directions to See a Ghost
(Light in the Attic, 2008)

When Austin’s Black Angels hit the scene with their 2006 release Passover, they were immediately well-received by way of their psych-rock revivalist sound. With this new album, Directions to See a Ghost, they’ve extended those psychedelic undercurrents all the way to their limits, driving them down into a sonic abyss of sinking black skies and laden discontent. This re-visitation of psychedelia is a popular current in today’s rock pool, with contemporaries like Black Mountain and the Warlocks helping to forge that path first laid down by the Velvet Underground and 13th Floor Elevators. The Black Angels’ debut release, Passover, was a rocking mix of Brian Jonestown Massacre-esque hooks dipped into the ethereal fuzz of the Jesus and Mary Chain. This latest release, Directions to See a Ghost, lessens its hard rocking, bluesy focus and what remains is steeped in a tripped out sonic haze.

Well, I miss the blues rock hooks of their first release. It has a lighter touch and doesn’t drown me like this record does. By the last song of Directions to See a Ghost—a monster 16-plus minute opus—I’m too stoned by the hypnotic beats of this reverb-drenched entity to muster much of a response to it. But maybe that’s part of the disaffected point. While treading amid dark political injustices and debilitating paranoia, the Black Angels execute their sound very well, with walls of fuzzy guitar, sedative rhythms, tambourine accents, and Alex Maas’ throbbing, somber vocals ushering the listener into a black-shrouded stupor.

The songs explore, like psych-rock often does, intricacies of the human condition, and politics. The liner notes invite a bit of explanation, each song coupled with an underlying descriptor blurb: Track one, entitled “You On the Run”, is subtitled with “man’s flight from the unseen/unsane” and the lyrics are scathing accusations like “Well hello Harmony / Whatcha doin’ for free? / Yeah get on your knees you freak / And please please me.” “Doves” is called “an interpretation of love” while “Science Killer” is entitled “man’s re-awakening.” “Mission District”, or “Evil vs. Evil”, is a driving, frightening song with Maas’ nonchalant voice sighing, “You only love yourself / You only care for you / I think I hit the truth. / Better days will come / Other scenes to get on / You watch your village cave in kid.” This one picks up into heated folds of sound that crescendo and then break back open into reflection, a formula the rest of the record copes as well.

“18 Years”, or “the world in terms of WE”, sounds a little more retro-rock, with a classically brooding line, “Something black answers back from the dungeon / And you smile.” The pervasive political dread is highly recognized in “Deer-Ree-Shee” (aka “past mistakes”), which is an indictment of some of our nation’s choices—“Bang, bang your magic is here / White men and God are one? Make us feel like foreigners / Devils under our own sun.” Quite a sobering song, a highly emotional one, flavored with sitar and a bitter cognizance, and it may be your first hard indication that this is, indeed, a conceptual album.  

The political-minded songs don’t stop there, no sir. “Vikings” (“the blind leading the blind”) is another sour condemnation: “Gunna do things my way / Gunna see you tomorrow / On a German war plane / We gunna bomb you ‘til Tuesday / Important vision / Incredible smile.” “The Return” (subtitled “A warning to prepare”) bitterly recalls Vietnam War-era America. “There’s a man who can decide / Between what’s wrong and what’s right / There’s a son who won’t fight / For what his father thinks is right / Like Judas of old / With a kiss you’ll be sold / And those who deny / Will drop like flies.” Directions to See a Ghost ends with “Snake in the Grass”, which is a perfectly fitting conclusion to the album: “And you’re safe, but just today / You better believe me!” 

This album holds up best in its entirety, and while it most definitely looks both forward and inward it also harkens back to those early days of youth rebellion and war protests and revolution, reminding us, above all else, that these betrayals are still very much present in our collective psyche of today. The liner notes end with a summation: “We encourage you to rethink your preconceived notions, question authority, and create other methods for survival.” If there was any doubt that this was in fact a political album, then the uncertainty goes to die right here. This album does not relent as it drenches you in a dread that is, at times, welcoming. While it lacks the ease of Passover, that is not without its trade-off—Directions to See a Ghost is a thoughtful album, fully deliberate and intentional, and one that, if you let it, could exist in the dark places of your consciousness. Don’t fight it. Just let yourself sink right along with the hazy discontent.

Listen: Various Tracks [at myspace.com]

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