By Matt Walker, May 2008

Directions to See a Ghost, Light in the Attic Records

There’s no shortage of psych-rock/guitar-driven folk-rock acts today: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Dead Meadow, Comets on Fire, Six Organs of Admittance, and the Warlocks all come to mind. The Black Angels, who return with Directions to See a Ghost, often get mentioned with these bands, but they stand a bit further out of the circle with their heavy emphasis on dark, mournful, lyrics and very retro guitar licks, not to even mention the obviously Jim Morrison-inspired vocals.

”Deer-ree-shee,” ”You on the Run,” ”Vikings” and ”18 Years” have to be the most engaging songs to me of Directions to See a Ghost. ”Deer-ree-shee” is a masterwork that is as much Steve Earle with its morose lyrics and Celtic-inspired sounds as it is The Doors. Like Steve Earle, it sounds at once honest and brave—a song crafted of a musician’s desire to produce something deeply meaningful but also full of narrative mystery and depth. Such is true also of the album opener,”You on the Run.” Much like ”Young Man Dead” on The Black Angels’ album Passover, ”You on the Run” introduces us to the fact we’re in for a somber listening experience, and that injustice, fear, and paranoia are out there lurking in these American shadows. Alex Maas’s vocals are the leading force—as lead vocals normally are in a rock song—but are also somewhat muted and in the background to the odd guitar ramblings taking place around them.

Directions to See a Ghost is a very atmospheric album and would benefit at times from some lush and massive vocals, some brass, and greater use of synths to bring the brooding feeling home. Still, the effect of Maas’s specter-like vocals, the ever-present guitar, and the noodling organ melodies is near-perfect at its best. As a rather young band, The Black Angels can only go further and produce even better music. What they’ve brought together on Directions to See a Ghost is consummate and breathtaking though—just as it should be—and it’s enough.

The Black Angels, along with like-minded band, The Warlocks, will play Common Grounds July 10 at 9 p.m., so make your plans to see them if you like the new album.