The Stevenson Ranch Davidians - Amerikana

There's a sinister streak in some psych-rock shake, a dark shade ripped from the blackened heart of Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For the Devil," "Street Fighting Man," and "Gimme Shelter." It's there in varying degrees in Jesus & Mary Chain, Spiritualized, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Brian Jonestown Massacre, and in a different way, this Southern Californian collective revolving since 2006 around Dwayne Seagraves. In fact, for their first album in eight years, holdovers Seagraves and bassist Jessica Latiolait tabbed BJM'S Ron Campanella for guitar, bringing along drummer/backing vocalist brother Andy Campanella. Amerikana lifts off on the louder, heavier well-named opener "Wack Magic," but it's a slower, shuffling, dazed, post-drug come down shade that prevails, as if a fight could break out if anyone ever got up from the couch like the whacked out slower songs on Iggy & the Stooges' Raw Power). It's fascinating blues inertia, ever so unlit.

-The Big Takeover