The evidence that California trio Crystal Antlers has dialed down their
frenetic psych-rock blitzkrieg comes quickly on their third album,
Nothing Is Real. First, the skittering organ runs that punctuated 2009’s
Tentacles and 2011’s Two-Way Mirror are nowhere to be found, allowing
guitarist Andrew King’s textural riffs and live-wire solos to take
center stage. Second, singer-bassist Johnny Bell transforms his feral,
unintelligible howl into a surprisingly malleable, even pleasant croon
on “Rattlesnake” and “Wrong Side.” Sure, Crystal Antlers still executes
scuzzy, ’60s-influenced garage punk brilliantly on “Licorice Pizza,”
“Persephone” and “Anywhere but Here.
” But those buzzy jams sequence
nicely with the serenity of “We All Gotta Die” and “Don’t Think of the
Stone.” Nothing Is Real’s biggest surprise comes on “Wrong Side” and
“Prisoner Song,” however; both of which are clearly indebted to
meandering ’90s indie rock and its contemporary resurgence. Yet Crystal
Antlers isn’t conforming to today’s blogosphere buzz – instead, they’ve
perfected their own blend of acid-fried heft and sun-dappled
accessibility.
