The Door

Album review

For their short debut for the Ecstatic Peace! label, Religious Knives further explore the kind of shadowy psychedelic moodouts that they'd already been known for, reminiscent of all the expected names one can think of -- the Doors, the Stooges, Spacemen 3, and any number of their clones. "On a Drive" especially feels like a sequel to that first band's "Midnight Mile," though arguably even meaner and more drawn out, especially thanks to the steady, stabbing drumming and low organ moans. On the one hand that tends to limit the feeling of surprise throughout -- there's very little here that's strikingly unique sounding compared to other bands working in this vein. On the other hand, there's also a gentle slice-of-life detail evident in some of the lyrics that is to the group's credit, such as "Downstairs," which is, indeed, about going downstairs "where nobody can bother me." There's also a definite feeling of musical unease throughout -- by accentuating the darker sounds of their role models, the band creates music for unsettled, angry moods rather than blissing out, by a long shot, ending the album with the momentous "Decisions Are Made" as if the biggest decision in the world was around the corner. Mike Bernstein's slightly rough demi-sneer isn't too overwhelming, often sounding attractively dry, while Maya Miller's voice is equally sharp, more declamatory, perhaps best heard on "The Storm," which lives up to its title with a slow, threatening build.

© Ned Raggett /TiVo