Blackhoods are a psychedelic rock duo from the UK, whose latest album Sunk has been released by the renowned US label Not Not Fun. Psychedelic rock in itself doesn't necessarily promise anything great and original these days, but Blackhoods prove that there are some bands with fascinating and somewhat original sound still out there. What gives Blackhoods their distinct sound, is the heavily echo-laden slowly evolving yet deliciously repetitive hypnotic guitar jamming on top of reptetitive drums that come ouf of a box. I am not usually that much into drums produced by a drum machine, but they do work wonders with this particular dronish hypnotic psych duo.
With a lot of mediocre psych bands out there, this hypnotic duo - although not reinventing the bicycle - appeases me. This material is so appeasing that even Neville Chamberlain would be completely happy with it. So would have been the Germans. This tasty heavy psych is so pleasing that they would have wanted more and more. Even more, this sturdy heavy psych bike with its tasteful monotonous echoing guitars would suit perfectly for the long night time retreats through the endless desert back from El Alamein. Blackhoods do suit the aimless night time desert wandering, with their shoegaze and even dub influenced reverberations bouncing off the distant cliffs on the outskirts of the seemingly borderless sand.
Paradoxically the sound of this duo also has a sort of an under water feel, which comes best apparent on tracks like Constant Wrestle or Adriana on their latest album Sunk. The under water echoing and reverbing cramped space sound does indeed feel like having been recorded on a submarine, with the drumbeat feeling like a continous beat of sonar on the hull of the sub as it glides through water. But its not the sound from a submarine about to be sunk, but rather comes forth as a relaxing echoing psyched out wonderous trip under water. Although not at all lacking the darker aspect of the deep depths.
Here are also some useful links
Bandcamp - https://blackhoods.bandcamp.com/
Discogs - http://www.discogs.com/artist/3263285-Blackhoods
Last.fmhttp://www.last.fm/music/BlackHoods
