All Today's Parties

Brian Eno said once about The Velvet Underground that their debut album wasn't much of a commercial success, but anyone who bought one of the first 30.000 copies started a band. And if we wouldn't know better, we would certainly assume that The Black Angels bought five out of 30.000. Hell, they named their band after The Black Angel's Death Song and they have Nico's photo as their logo.

Now, as we all know, being highly influenced by a band is dangerous, as it might result in your musical project just being a very good tribute band. However, this never seemed to be a problem for The Black Angels. While being strongly influenced, not only by VU, but by the Whole Psychedelic Era (with accents on 13^th Floor Elevators), they somehow managed to build their own identity without being necessarily original. And they're willing to prove it again on their third studio album, Phosphene Dream.

The obsessive and twisted guitar riff and Alex Maas' almost unreal vocals blend perfectly on Bad Vibrations, making it one of the finest moments on the whole record. It’s also the opening track, so it’s safe to say the five Texans have no mercy. From front to back, they dazzle you to the point of obsession with hallucinating bass and guitar lines like those on the title track, Mass’s echoing voice refusing to leave your side for many days to come. They make you wonder whether you’ve been doing to many drugs, even if you have never touch such things, with every Spacemen 3 drone and Nuggets infused wall of sound.

They drive you insane with every hit of the drums. Drums that seem to surreal to be real, drums too perfect to come from this world, drums that add to the overall vibe of the space-y Yellow Elevator #2. They even provide the perfect soundtrack for a night out at your local psych club with Telephone and its heavy Doors-scented keyboard. Yes, we know The Doors actually used an organ, but the feeling is the same.

To say that after you push the play button, you'll be sucked into the '60s atmosphere before having time to say "Andy Warhol" is probably stating the obvious, but it's the best way to describe the feeling you get from the first to the last track. There's so much more to say about this release, but every word is pale in comparison with the album. It's true, some would argue there is nothing innovative about Phosphene Dream. But we would argue back that, for a mere journey to the past, it is a fabulous one.

*photo courtesy of The Black Angels' official site