Cool Black Angels CD, School of Seven Bells live
The Black Angels have given us one of the month's best albums.
The Black Angels—Phosphene Dream…The solid September, 2010 continues with these Austin boys. If you like blusey 60’s-garage rock, this one’s definitely for you. When I first heard the single “Telephone”, it reminded me of The Dave Clark Five. The entire album is consistent, with The Rolling Stones and other 60’s luminaries constantly coming to mind. These Austin dudes appeared on David Letterman several weeks ago and proved they can bring it live. Track tips are “Telephone”, “Yellow Elevator #2”, and “Sunday Afternoon”.
I was in Madison last week and caught School of Seven Bells at the Majestic. It’s a band I respect but haven’t gotten my arms around as of yet. The show was fine for their fans, but I’m not sure it would be something to attract new people. The stage was dark and the vibes warm and positive. I was surprised the sound was as lo-fi and bottom-heavy as it was. Perhaps more than it was intended to be. This isn’t the kind of band to raise the roof, but it should be noted that crowd response was decent although not overly enthusiastic.. I loved their final encore, which was a cover of Siouxsie’s “Kiss Them For Me”. It fit perfectly.