The Black Angels — Indigo Meadow (2013)

 

           ^{The Black Angels — Indigo Meadow}
Formed: May, 2004 in Austin, TX
Location: Austin, Texas, U.S.
Album release: April 2nd, 2013
Record Label: Blue Horizon Ventures
Duration:     45:50
Tracks:
01. Indigo Meadow      2:49
02. Evil Things       3:44
03. Don’t Play With Guns      3:43
04. Holland      4:03
05. The Day       2:37
06. Love Me Forever      3:10
07. Always Maybe      4:08
08. War On Holiday      2:35
09. Broken Soldier      3:36
10. I Hear Colors (Chromaesthesia)       4:03
11. Twisted Light      3:21
12. You’re Mine      3:40
13. Black Isn’t Black       4:21
Notable instruments:
≈       Fulltone Tape Echos, 1964 Gretsch Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, Vox Jaguar Keyboard, Electro~Harmonix Holy Grail Reverb Pedals
Logo:
≈       Besides the band’s name, the Velvet Underground are also referenced by the band’s logo, which incorporates a high~contrast negative image of Velvet’s vocalist Nico.
Band members:
Current:
≈       Stephanie Bailey — drums, percussion, bass
≈       Christian Bland — guitar, vocals, bass, drums
≈       Rishi Dhir — guitar, bass, sitar
≈       Kyle Hunt — keyboards, percussion, bass, and guitar
≈       Alex Maas — vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards
Former:
≈       Todd Keller — guitar
≈       Jennifer Raines — drone machine, keyboards and percussion
≈       Nate Ryan — bass, guitar, occasional drums                                                       © Briana Purser; Austin, TX, January 2008
Side projects:
≈       The Viet Minh
≈       Christian Bland & The Revelators
≈       The UFO Club (Christian Bland, Lee Blackwell of Night Beats & others).
≈       Sweet Tea
Website: http://www.theblackangels.com/ /   MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theblackangels#                                                                 © Photo credit: Courtney/Chavanell
Description:
≈       “The Black Angels’ most revelatory collection thus far, “Indigo Meadow” marks the Austin, Texas based band’s fourth full~length release, following 2010’s acclaimed “Phosphene Dream.” Once again the Black Angels prove themselves the undisputed avatars of contemporary psychedelic rock, simultaneously exalting the genre’s kaleidoscopic past as they thrust it further into the future. Now a four~piece ably supported behind the board by producer/mixer John Congleton (David Byrne & St. Vincent, Explosions In The Sky, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) the band have brought new focus to their wide~ranging song craft, the righteous riffs and dogmatic drones gaining increased power as they fuel a more expansive emotional terrain. A 21st century trip as transcendent as any in the canon, “Indigo Meadow” masterfully affirms The Black Angels full~throttle commitment to the psychedelic ethos of creativity, community and boundless experimentation.”

≈ Un nouveau bon album pour le groupe de rock psychédélique texan.
By Chris Coplan on January 22nd, 2013; http://consequenceofsound.net
≈       Austin psych~rock outfit The Black Angels will release their fourth studio album, Indigo Meadow, on April 2nd via Blue Horizon. The follow~up to 2010’s Phosphene Dream was recorded in El Paso with producer John Congleton (The Walkmen, Jens Lekman, Okkervil River). According to a press release, the 13~track effort represents a “rather major leap forward for these avatars of psych rock,” affirming their “full~throttle commitment to the psychedelic ethos of creativity, community and boundless experimentation.”
≈       But even as they expand their songs into more far~out aural territories, the band stay committed to delivering a message. Written just days before last year’s mass shooting in Aurora, Colorado, lead single “Don’t Play With Guns” balances explosive guitars and blown~out vocals with a truly succinct statement regarding the ugly issue of gun control.
≈       “Our music has always tried to shed light on issues that may be hard to deal with or confront,” singer/guitarist Alex Maas explains. “In ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ the antagonist is a female who has the power of persuasion over a man. Substitute the female antagonist with a Nation, substitute the manipulated man with yourself. If people think they can ignore the issues, they are wrong.  Don’t play with guns, don’t touch a hot stove, don’t give your child a poisonous snake, don’t turn the cheek when artists are willing to discuss these issues.”

Discography:
Albums:
Year / Album details / Peak chart positions: US / FR
≈ 2006   Passover
Label: Light in the Attic Records    - / -
≈ 2008 Directions to See a Ghost
Label: Light in the Attic Records    - / 108
≈ 2010 Phosphene Dream
Label: Blue Horizon Ventures    52 / 52
≈ 2011 Another Nice Pair
(collecting the first two EP's)
Label: Light in the Attic Records    - / -
≈ 2013 Indigo Meadow
(April 2, 2013)
Label: Blue Horizon Ventures
EPs:
≈ The Black Angels (Light in the Attic Records, 2005 EP)
≈ Black Angel Exit (Light in the Attic Records, 2008 EP)
≈ Phosgene Nightmare (Blue Horizon, 2011 EP)
Singles:
≈ "The First Vietnamese War" b/w "Nine Years" (released August 21, 2006)
≈ "Better Off Alone" b/w "Yesterday Always Knows" (released May 28, 2007)
≈ "Doves" b/w "Drone in G# Major" (released May 20, 2008)
≈ "Telephone" (released August 3, 2010)
≈ "Watch Out Boy" b/w "I'd Rather Be Lonely" (released April 21, 2012)
≈ "Don't Play With Guns" (released January 22, 2013)
Soundtracks:
≈ Alan Wake (Video Game) (Young Men Dead)
≈ The Art of Flight (2011 Snowboarding Documentary) (Young Men Dead)
≈ Need for Speed: The Run (Video Game) (Better Off Alone)
≈ Spec Ops: The Line (Video Game) (The First Vietnamese War)
≈ Spec Ops: The Line (Video Game) (Bad Vibrations)
≈ "Natural Selection" from Where Did the Night Fall - With UNKLE (2010)
≈ "With You In My Head" from The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (soundtrack) - With UNKLE (2010)
≈ Death Sentence (2007 Film by James Wan) (Prodigal son)
≈ The Limits of Contnrol (2009 Film by Focus Features) (You on the Run)                                © East Coast/West Coast tour Spring 2007 Artwork By Tim Clark 

The Black Angels — Indigo Meadow (2013)

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