TONIGHT: The Black Angels and Suuns @ First Unitarian Church

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TONIGHT: The Black Angels and Suuns @ First Unitarian Church

POSTED: Tuesday, April 5, 2011, 2:00 PM

Filed Under: Music Show

Do you remember Monster Magnet (as in, “Space-Lord, Motha-Motha!”)? They were briefly famous for being at the right place at the right time at the dawn of rap-metal, but their true genre-at-large was good old-fashioned stoner rock. And, by stoner-rock, I want to be clear that the music has nothing (necessarily) to do with drugs (okay, MM was a bad example). It means metal that’s been slowed down to a head-bob. Think Soundgarden, especially their more mid-tempo stuff.

Anywhoo, a few years ago I was on a Monster Magnet message board (yes, I just typed that, and now you’re reading it) looking for other good stoner-rock bands worth checking out. One name that surfaced a few times was The Black Angels. They seemed important.

I checked them out, and sure enough they were everything I was hoping for. Symbol-riding bass kicks followed by statuesque snare hits. Low-tuned, minor third-heavy guitar lines fuzzed out to the absolute max. Interpol-worthy vocal drone. Endlessly repeating riffs getting drowned out by psychedelic ornamentation, but not before hooking your cortex into it’s spongy, supple insides. A warm saline bath for harsh cold audible reality.

As someone who never particularly got into recreational drugs--I probably give myself away as an unbalanced codependent who relies on music for my pseudo-spiritual cathartic moments. If this describes you too, you will enjoy these guys. The Black Angels — who get their name from Velvet Underground’s “The Black Angel’s Death Song” and whose sonic experience, I should point out, is not entirely unlike that first time you had Venus in Furs on repeat at 2 a.m. — will be playing their spaced-out low-rock at The Church tonight.

Tonight, Tue., April 4, 8 p.m., $13, with Suuns, First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 877-435-9849, r5productions.com.

Posted by Ryan Carey @ 2:00 PM Permalink | Post a comment

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