One of the easiest things to do when you see a sudden influx of popularity is to completely change your sound. It’s really easy to do and sometimes it works out really, really well (See: The Sheepdogs & The Black Keys). However, it’s even more admirable when a band who, sort of, makes it doesn’t do anything too drastic to their already distinct sound (See: Foxygen & the feature of this post, The Black Angels).
Now, this isn’t to say that they should never change what they do. On the contrary, I would expect nothing less than this band to grow and develop as people and therefore as a sound. However, the commitment to refining a certain sound is completely admirable and is rare for a band that is scratching the surface of relevance.
Although getting mixed reviews from the likes of Pitchfork, The Black Angels most recent LP Clear Lake Forest is an excellent psych-rock record. Pure and simple. Nothing adulterated, no pretentiousness; it’s as real as it gets.
