The Black Angels | Passover
It's passover and I'm working, the least I could do is blog about Passover. So I will. The Black Angels hail from Seattle, they have a hot blonde chick playing drums like it's a death march, and probably the coolest looking album cover I've seen all year. About the music, well, it is nothing short of hard and rocking, in a neo-psychedelic-garage-rock kinda way. Get your brain into the chanting, droned-out lyrics and you'll see it goes even deeper. Starting out with "Young Men Dead," this band does not let you forget the world is not a place, and your fucking government thinks it's a good idea to invade other countries when we've got abject poverty, debt, hunger and our own shitstorm at home.

Oh wait, isn't that what Passover is all about? Realizing that although we are free men now, there are others in this world who are enslaved? Saying "next year in Jerusalem" is more of a state of mind, a spiritual ideal, the place we *all* want to be, living in harmony with all the other peoples, not fighting religious wars definding your parents' religion. Is there not a completely obvious parallel between the jews who were enslaved in Egypt and the way some of the Iraqis live right now next door? Is there a religious jew around that can make a case for this war on this holiday? Thanks, Black Angels, for reminding me what it's all about.

On the bright side, I saw that IODA's Promonet has a free MP3 of "Bloodhounds On My Trail," that link should work for you if you still listen to MP3. Either way, think about it for a second, and let this album be a Call to Arms (the song is about a mother who receives a telegram letting her know that her son was just killed fighting in Iraq, The Black Angels are asking you to wake up, wake up, and do something about your government before we are all dragged off to hell. Heavy, but someone's got to talk sense to America. - TK