The Black Angels - Phosphene Dream

Rating: 4/10
Genre: Psychedelia/Rock
Black Angels return with their third LP Phosphene Dream and yes just like the last time the album sleeve itself is enough to make you queazy. Black Angels pride themselves on authentic Psychedelia and their art work is no different. The 60's for many were a golden era in terms of music. Artists like the doors and the 13th Floor Elevators blew apart the traditional view of what rock could be at a time where music inspired a generation of a shared drive for peace and love. For many bands now the only way to move forward is to first look back and today there are swathes of bands trying to place themselves into this important part of rocks heritage by emulating their heroes. The real benefit is the new technology that is now available allows modern artists to create ever more complex compositions whilst many classic albums were marred by the horrendous production quality of the recordings.

The music the Black Angels make is very traditional  in many senses and mostly consists of fuzzy distorted electric guitars that continue to drone along in time with slow paced beats and Alex Maas's almost Jim Morrison styled crooning with a penchant for the dark and eery. It all sounds very appealing on paper and the heavy influence of the Velvet Underground and 13th Floor Elevators  normally allows for quite an interesting set of songs. Unfortunately Phosphene dream disappoints. The over distrortion leaves each track bleeding into one another lacking the same dark hypnotic rythm of previous releases. Much of the problem stems from the lack of variation over their career, little to no changes have been made in terms of musical style and even with the best writing in the world repetition becomes dull and stale. Whilst the level of musicianship has not lowered most of this album feels like a lazy rehashing of 2008's Directions To See A Ghost. The solitary highlight is "Entrance Song" which provides the only memorable moment of the album with its low end groovey rythm .

Overall this is far from the Black Angels best work. The issue with a band so set in the past is that the musical scene they are trying to be a part of is no more. Only using the past as a reference makes it very difficult to actually make a progression in sound and here has worked to the detriment of the band. This unfortunately makes this album quite dull. I recommend 2008's Directions To See A Ghost instead.

Download: "Entrance Song"

Roky Erickson with Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil

Rating: 7/10
Genre: Rock/Blues
The truly legendary Roky Erickson returns with his first solo album in a staggering 14 years True Love Cast Out All Evil backed up by fellow Austinites Okkervil River. Roky's tragic life story is that of Rock and Roll legend. His career started as the voice of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators a band deemed by many as the true creators of 60's Psychedelia however due to classic rock and roll excess and the bands pro LSD stand point he was deemed a threat by the authorities. He was eventually made an example of, a miscarriage of justice that cost Roky many years of his life incarcerated in institutions surrounded by murderers and rapists. Due to the psychological damage done by his excessive drug use and the primitive treatments he was exposed to whilst in various mental institutions when Roky finally did get out it seemed as though he was destined to fade away into obscurity. So this come back album is a monumental achievement to say the least.

The album itself works very much like a time capsule of Roky's life. Due to continuous legal battles and Roky's difficult mental health issues much of his solo work was lost or prevented from wide spread release. Many of these songs appear here in re-recorded forms. The album is also held together by several scraps and demoes taken from a massive archive of unreleased material that was given to the producer of the record and front man of backing band Okkervil River Will Sheff. The music here is a million miles away from Roky's classic rock material from his eighties album Evil One and takes on a more acoustic and almost blues like foundation. The majority of the record is made up of stripped back acoustic numbers with Roky's soulful melodic singing voice guiding you through each tale of his trials and tribulations. Whilst much of this record is sad and deals with themes of madness and forced solitude most of the songs remain uplifting and joyful. It seems evident that this is Roky's most personal and intimate album and demonstrates his almost super human ability of survival. The true highlights are the tracks where Okkervil River really get involved in the layering and backing such as "Goodbye Sweet Dreams" a stirring masterpiece with swirling feedback and a beautiful electric guitar solo as it reaches its emotional apex. "Bring Back The Past" is another highlight, a truly upbeat pop rock gem that could have easily fit in nestled amongst some of his earlier solo work.

Overall this album is a great listen the only issue is that due to Will Sheff's admiration of Roky and his work I feel he has aired on the side of caution too frequently. Many of the scratchy demoes are of such poor quality they are almost unlistenable and due to Sheff's reluctance to edit these for most people these will provide very little enjoyment. This release is still worth a go and a deffinate must have for any Roky Erickson fan and hopefully a sign of things to come. It is almost impossible to not be moved by this album I recommend you give it a go.

Download: "Goodbye Sweet Dreams" "Bring Back The Past"