The Black Angels - Doves

Texas is fast becoming the new psych capital of the US as if Roky Erickson is eschewing acid from his pores. Combine the dense reverb of The Secret Machines (Dallas) and combine it with the gritty blues of Vietnam (Austin) and you've got The Black Angels.

I actually got the opportunity to see this band at SXSW05. They opened for Psychic Ills and the aforementioned Vietnam. I'm not going to say that they were the highlight, because they weren't. But they certainly did their part to blow the minds of the audience. And I hadn't even taken any illegal drugs!

While trying to dig up some information on them I ran across some live mp3s from Austin radio station KVRX. I also noticed that several of their song titles have political implications: "The 1st Vietnamese War" and "Freedom of Voice." It's unclear (especially since I haven't heard the songs, but I hope they do) if there is any overt message in the lyrics. Regardless, the sound this band conjures is evocative of an era when tuning in, turning on and rocking out was a means for change. Let's do that again.