The Black Angels played their new album, Phosphene Dream, at a private show last night at the Angel Orensanz Foundation in Manhattan, N.Y., and Spin has the review here. “Phosphene is lighter and easier to love, packing more in a single song than the Angels used to do in half an album,” writes Spin’s John S.W. MacDonald in his revive of the invite-only performance. Phosphene Dream drops next Tuesday.
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Black Angels Play New Album at Private Show
September 8 2010, 3:27pm
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Hear New Tune from the Black Angels
Austin’s psychedelic rock bunch the Black Angels premiered new song “Telephone Blues” yesterday on Spin. “It’s about no one hearing your calling, while everything around you is crumbling, about being left lonely and nothing seeming holy,” guitarist Christian Bland told SPIN.com. “Telephone” will appear on third album, Phosphene Dream, available Sept. 14, and at just over two-minutes long, is a departure from some of their previous work. “Most songs are shorter (on the new album), because we used a producer, and a producer’s job is to help you hone it in within three minutes and 30 seconds, or four and a half,” Black Angels multi-instrumentalist Kyle Hunt told Fender News back in March. “We come from the Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan and the Doors, and they all had long, eight-minute songs; six-minute songs. The Velvet Underground—their songs are simple and pretty and not tons of changes, and that’s the beauty of it. It’s the drone and repetition so we had to learn how to get that hypnotic sound within a three-and-a-half-minute thing where it’s exciting and explosive, and still has some song form.” The Black Angels can also be heard on the latest Twilight soundtrack Eclipse on its track “With You in my Head,” a collaboration with UNKLE.
July 30 2010, 11:17am
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From Fender Front Row, fender.com
Interesting first day at SXSW Music Fest in Austin, Texas. We went from catching 70s rock early afternoon with Norwegian’s BigBang (on par harmonies in “Early December,” which first appeared on 2007 album Too Much Yang)to psychedelic drones over at Emo’s with the Black Angels to some female-powered rock with Visqueen at STUBBS. Here’s quick clip of the Black Angels, who launched a new website yesterday.
Kyle Hunt, who I’d call the jack of all trades in the Black Angels, gave all SXSW attendees some excellent advice – get a bike. Of course, I’d already witnessed that from Alex Perez of our artist relations team. Although a SXSW first-timer, Perez wisely hit up a friend to hook him up with a 24-inch BMX Cruiser. After carrying three bags of equipment and walking along as he lapped me on his cruiser, I’m thinking mugging him might be in the works. Looks like Visqueen’s Rachel Flotard had the same idea when we caught up with her Wednesday afternoon following her first SXSW appearance at Levi’s Fader Fort.
Later, I hiked up to Red River and 8th to catch Visqueen’s Soundcheck and then live act, which was streamed live on NPR. “Because of this live broadcast I get to sing a song tonight to my two year old niece and my sister, who made some corn beef and cabbage in honor of our family and I’m going to sing this one for them, but for you as well,” said Flotard to the packed audience. Backed only by her cellist on the opening number, Flotard’s powerful pipes were even more pronounced but the spitfire quickly switched gears. After telling the audience “Now we’re gonna bring out some meat,” she blazed into a rocking number off A Message to Garcia, “Hand Me Down.” Here’s a clip from the set.
Flotard also mentioned that she’s sometimes mistaken for Olympian Shaun White. I hadn’t thought of it, but now that she’s put it out there…. Listen to the whole show at NPR here.
March 18 2010, 11:24am
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