Album Reviews

Crystal Antlers - Tentacles

It’s easy to get lost in the mix. With Crystal Antler’s searing drums and soaring organ on their debut Tentacles, it would be easy for singer and bassist Johnny Bell’s voice to drown in the whirlpool of psychedelic rhythms. But it is this competition for space that makes Bell’s voice so unique. His voice reaches up over the tumultuous psychedelic sound soup with a strained yell (not a scream, by any means) burgeoning with an urgency and a plea to be heard. Even though the gentlemen hail from the musically-rich industrial wasteland of Long Beach (home to one of the largest ports in the world), Crystal Antlers spout out a Los Angeles-sound circa 1965 and 1977.

Tentacles is a conversation between soul of The Doors and grime of The Germs, and no more is this evident than on “Dust,” the organ-driven rocker. The prog-infused “Your Spears” shifts from a poppy post-apocalyptic game show theme (C’mon doooown), to a swaggering soul-filled chorus, a tactic oft used by Morrison and the gang. But Crystal Antlers is not just a musical rerun; they push LA rock into a new direction that celebrates the soul and the clamor of four decades of Southern California sound.

By Drew Tewksbury

from Flaunt Magazine, Issue 103 2009

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© 2009 Drew Tewksbury: Multimedia Journalist.