Wes 2009-01-07

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Do you ever have those moments when you put something on and are just KNOCKED OUT, totally blown away, shocked, stunned at the greatness you're experiencing? It happens here. I loaded this onto my player without hearing anything from them before. Within moments I was instantly HOOKED. That's the feeling you get when you listen to this. It's the drone, the psychedelic dirge, and attention to details that will mesmerize you to the core. I have since listened to this album hundreds of times and am amazed to discover new things to appreciate, be it the arrangements, the vocals, everything. This is a rare band whose every recording, every performance I want to hear. It is truly like taking a hit of ecstasy - this is one of my favorite albums of all-time.

Tom Chase 2009-01-02

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The Black Angels' debut "Passover" was an exciting surge back to 60s psychedelia, full of mind-bending drones, trippy guitars and a truly inspired vocalist in Alex Maas. "Direction To See A Ghost" continues things in the same vein. Granted there isn't much new to TBA's sound, but this doesn't bother me. They have such a distinguished sound already that varying it too much after just two releases was never necessary.

As with the debut, the songs tend to flow and groove endlessly. The `drone machine' saturates everything, the drums are powerful and locked, the guitar tone is perfectly fuzzy and Maas' piercing, nasally delivery is wonderfully fitting. Some songs have the tendency to drift on, but there are some real gems here. The one-two punch of "You On The Run" and "Doves" is a grand opening, with the former setting up a brooding, melancholy Velvet Underground atmosphere, only for the latter to cut through with some feel-good, sunshine pop psychedelia. Other highlights include the sombre "18 Years" and the sitar-laden "Deer-Ree-Shee". Generally, there isn't a bad song to be found here. "Directions" is another great album from The Black Angels that firmly cements them at the forefront of modern psychedelic rock.

Mr. McSpunkle 2008-11-12

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

The Black Angels first album was decent psych/drone rock but seemed to show their influences a little too clearly (The Velvet Underground, The Doors, The Seeds, etc). This follow-up is similar, but shows more originality. Still very 60's sounding, but with some modern touches and 80's goth/ death rock leanings.

The album picks up pretty much where Passover left off with a couple of groovy yet dark rockers, but by track 3, "Science Killer", we're rolling through the desert in the middle of the night, high on something, searching for the remains of Charles Manson's ranch. A little later someone in the band finds a dusty old sitar and quickly masters it, Brian Jones style. Tambourines, guitars set on "freakout", shakers that sound like rattle snakes and two note organ drones abound. These dudes are definately from Texas.

The centerpiece of the record is "Never/Ever", a ten minute epic that sounds like The Black Angels summoned the spirit of early Jefferson Airplane and somehow The Thirteenth Floor Elevators' electric jug player stowed away. Seriously that same high pitched "dooga dooga dooga" featured on just about every Elevators song shows up towards the end of the track!

The last three songs, which take up almost half of the album's run-time, will send you into a dark hallucinagenic state. "You In Color" is drenched in feedback and carried by a repetitive guitar riff that never wears out it's welcome, building to a thunderous climax. This fades into a swarm of cicadas hailing "The Return", which feels like dusk at the end of the summer, and something's not quite right (the vocals on this one remind me of Lee Renaldo of Sonic Youth). Closer "Snake in the Grass" is 16 minutes of drool inducing drone and dilated pupil space rock that brings the record to a fittingly meditative ending.

All in all, Directions To See A Ghost will fit nicely alongside albums by contemporaries such as The Warlocks and Brian Jonestown Masacre, as well as classics by Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, early Floyd and the aforementioned bands. Only problem is, a few of the songs rely more on feeling and texture and not so much on melody, a very minor quip. (Also, if you dig this check out "Internal Wrangler" and "Visitations" by Clinic)

S. D. Mason 2008-09-05

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Directions to See a Ghost (2008, Light in the Attic) The Black Angels' second studio album. ***

Back in fall of 2006 I stumbled across what was then a very little-known band called the Black Angels. I had found them on MySpace through a music search of the top psychedelic artists (that's another story in itself) according to the number of fans. On the third or fourth page back in the independent label column, I found this band. I clicked the link simply because I liked the artwork that was their logo. Back then they were featuring songs from their debut album, Passover, that had been released earlier that year. Upon my first listen to "Black Grease," I instantly classified them as a mix between Zeppelin, the Doors, and the Velvet Underground.

That album - Passover, I mean - was a decent affair. For every song that was interesting to listen to, there was one that was boring. But here, on Directions to See a Ghost, the Black Angels have changed things up a bit. Maas is no longer trying to sound like anyone else. Passover found him switching between a pissed-off Lou Reed and a stoned Jim Morrison, but here Maas has accepted his own style, and that's good, because he has a very distinctive voice. As far as the music goes, it's not as gloomy as Passover, rather, it's more psychedelic. They dig even deeper into that sound, emulating the Doors, for example, on "Never/Ever," a song too similar to "The End." They emulate a heavy version of the Velvet Underground on their brilliant second track and first single, "Doves." The drones are just as strong, the slow, riff-tastical numbers are still prevalent, but with less aggravation. It's not the angry record that Passover was, and it's not as difficult to sit through.

The standout, as was with the first album, is drummer Stephanie Bailey. Never since Bonham has a drummer shown so much love for the bass drum, and her constant, churning rhythms are such a breath of fresh air in a world filled with bouncy loops. The whole band has stepped up a bit, expanding their experiments with guitar reverbs and vocal distortion. It's a trippy affair for sure, and interesting at first, but like Passover, the formula for Directions to See a Ghost is too tiring to hold up. (Doves, Mission District)

Paul Allaer 2008-06-28

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Let me state upfront that I wasn't aware of the Black Angels until a friend of mine, who knows my musical tastes quite well, directed me to them with this, their second album. I would not be not disappointed. (I confess that I have not heard the band's first album, 2006's "Passover", yet at this time, but I will seek that out shortly.)

"Directions to See a Ghost" (11 tracks; 71 min.) starts off with a blast, "You On The Run", which at first reminds me immediately of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, but then the song evolves. "Doves" kicks off with thundering drums, only to be joined by even more thundering guitars, awash in reverb, just great. "Science Killer" starts with a great bass line, and eventually works into a frenzy, just great. "Mission District" reminded me of early Pink Floyd (Syd Barret-era). The energy throughout the album is fantasic, shoe-glazing psychedelic-influenced music at its best (and it's not a coincidence that the Black Angels are now on the same label as Brian Jonestown Massacre). Other highlights for me include the hard-charging "Vikings" and the closer, a 16 min. epic "Snake In the Grass" which goes on forever, but you never want it to end anyway, fabulous. In all, this album is just great, and sure to make my "best of the year" list.

Please note that simultaneously with the album, the band released an EP "Black Angel Exit" (4 tracks; 24 min.), which you could get by pre-ordering the album, or now at the band's shows (which is where I got it). It is a great companion to (and in the same vein as) the album, with the 9+ min. title track as the highlight. I had the good fortune to catch the Black Angels in concert here in Cincinnati recently in support of the new album, and they were nothing short of fantastic, a delight for any fan of live music. Meanwhile, "Directions to See a Ghost" is HIGHLY recommended!