> Switch to Advanced Search

New & Current Releases
Archives: A-Z Index
Advanced Search

Upcoming Release Calendar
All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best Of 2008
Best Of 2007
Best Of 2006
Best Of 2005
Best Of 2004
Best Of 2003
Best Of 2002
Best Of 2001
Best Of 2000
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Music In Our Forums

sort by name

sort by score

71 The Academy Is...
75 The Accidental
68 Adele
70 Adem
67 The Airborne Toxic Event
70 Alkaline Trio
72 Alphabeat
52 Ashanti
84 Bajofondo
56 David Banner
76 The Baseball Project
77 Beck
77 Black Affair
59 Black Ghosts
76 Black Kids
68 Booka Shade
74 Brazilian Girls
90 The Bug
71 Glen Campbell
75 Brendan Canning
69 The Charlatans
72 Coldplay
78 The Cool Kids
65 Alice Cooper
65 CSS
66 Miley Cyrus
45 Dandy Warhols
81 Danny!
73 Death Vessel
58 Dirty Pretty Things
57 Disturbed
72 Dr. Dog
82 DragonForce
75 Jakob Dylan
77 Earlimart
77 Brian Eno + David Byrne
83 Alejandro Escovedo
62 The Faint
56 Feeder
65 The Fiery Furnaces
88 Fleet Foxes
64 iForward, Russia!
61 The Fratellis
73 The Futureheads
59 G Love & Special Sauce
64 The Game
73 Inara George With Van Dyke Parks
81 Girl Talk
61 Golden Animals
64 Mike Gordon
81 Al Green
42 G-Unit
64 Albert Hammond, Jr.
67 Ed Harcourt
78 Emmylou Harris
84 Harvey Milk
76 Juliana Hatfield
61 Hawthorne Heights
82 HEALTH
86 Hercules And Love Affair
77 John Hiatt
82 High Places
76 Zach Hill
85 The Hold Steady
63 Vanessa Hudgens
74 Human Highway
77 James Hunter
68 Ice Cube
66 Ida Maria
69 Jaguar Love
69 Jewel
76 Joan As Police Woman
79 Jamey Johnson
70 Jonas Brothers
59 Judas Priest
57 Kerli
73 Ladytron
69 Cyndi Lauper
72 Leila
76 Lykke Li
82 Lil Wayne
82 Lindstrom
72 Little Jackie
60 Lloyd
55 Los Lonely Boys
74 Love As Laughter
79 Aimee Mann
80 Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog
76 John Mellencamp
71 The Melvins
71 Men Without Pants
71 Midnight Juggernauts
74 Mirah
63 Alanis Morissette
56 Motley Crue
74 The M's
83 The Music Tapes
54 The Music
71 My Brightest Diamond
70 My Morning Jacket
63 N.E.R.D. [The Neptunes]
71 Nas
79 Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis
84 Randy Newman
78 Nine Inch Nails
75 The Notwist
75 Conor Oberst
52 The Offspring
80 One Day As A Lion
75 Oneida
82 Opeth
62 The Orb
75 Oxford Collapse
62 James Pants
43 Katy Perry
74 Lee "Scratch" Perry
84 Sam Phillips
56 The Pigeon Detectives
72 Plies
73 Robert Pollard
81 Ponytail
64 Primal Scream
80 Ra Ra Riot
48 The Rascals
71 Ratatat
64 Re-Up Gang
48 Gavin Rossdale
71 The Rumble Strips
65 RZA
74 Scars On Broadway
72 Ron Sexsmith
85 Shearwater
39 Shwayze
81 Sigur Rós
78 Silver Jews
68 Slipknot
74 Sloan
79 Patti Smith and Kevin Shields
75 Solange
69 Son, Ambulance
63 Sam Sparro
76 Spiritualized
65 Rick Springfield
65 Staind
90 Steinski
47 Stereo MC's
72 Stereolab
69 The Stills
75 Subtle
83 Sugarland
67 Supergrass
70 Matthew Sweet
76 Irma Thomas
84 Teddy Thompson
57 Three 6 Mafia
76 Tilly And The Wall
64 The Ting Tings
72 Tittsworth
68 James Jackson Toth
72 Randy Travis
65 Usher
73 The Verve
69 The Virgins
72 Loudon Wainwright III
77 Martha Wainwright
85 The Walkmen
67 The Watson Twins
67 Ben Weaver
81 The Week That Was
64 Weezer
77 Paul Weller
76 White Denim
79 Cassandra Wilson
87 Dennis Wilson
76 Wire
78 Wolf Parade
61 XX Teens
55 Yung Berg
66 The Zutons

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Directions To See A Ghost
by The Black Angels


7.2

based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 4 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

Official Artist Site

The sophomore album for the Austin, Texas band was produced by Erik Wofford.

LABEL:	Light in the Attic
RELEASE DATE:	13 May 2008
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Rock, Alternative

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Prefix Magazine

Its muscular confidence and stylistic purity make it a must-listen for the psychedelically inclined, as well as an easy candidate for one of the best records of the year.

PopMatters

Some progression and distinction from "Passover" to Directions to See a Ghost is discernable over the unremitting low-end vibrations, some tweaks to the combustive chemistry as it was previously established.

Billboard

The breakdowns on songs like "Dee-Ree-Shee" and "You in Color" truly highlight each member's technical and dynamic abilities; the crescendos emphasize their quantum power to make great art as a group.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

It's kind of samey, sure--but in a formalist genre, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

All Music Guide

This is the sort of psychedelia that space rockers and Nuggets fans alike can come together over.

The New York Times

The songs on the band’s second album, Directions to See a Ghost (Light in the Attic) linger over one chord, perhaps two, and an unswerving beat, which doesn’t mean there’s no variety.

Austin Chronicle

Whereas "Passover" came wired with explosives, Ghost airs out its thrust with mercenary inevitability.

Pitchfork

If you isolate any random 45 seconds of Directions to See a Ghost's 70 minutes, you'll definitely be compelled to listen for another few minutes--after which time you'll probably start waiting for a solo or a shift in tone that might not even come.

Urb

With many songs over four minutes and often consisting of blantantly stoned self-indulgent "jams," some trimming is needed.

Uncut

It's dark, powerful and groovy, but some more variety wouldn't go amiss. [July 2008, p.90]

Q Magazine

While it makes for an impressive sound, it's hard not to yearn for more than the occasional flirtation with a second dimension, such as the sitar-driven 'Deer-Ree-Shee ' or the heavy riffed Krauturock-inspired groove that serves as the second half of 'Never/Ever.'

Under The Radar

Directions may not hit with the same weight as "Passover," but it is certainly a worthy follow-up. [Summer 2008]

Mojo

Undeniably grandiose as the Black Angels may be, the unrelenting darkness becomes too claustrophobic; even the Velvets sometimes let the sunshine in. [Aug 2008, p.113]

Drowned In Sound

By no means an awful record, but certainly a disappointing one.

Spin

Ghost drowns in Spacemen 3-like drone, feedback, and reverb until the tunes congeal into a deliberately muddy, impenetrable trance. [June 2008, p.104]

The Guardian

The band call their dark noise "hypno-drone'n'roll", but they could do with less drone, more roll.

The average user rating for this album is 7.2 (out of 10) based on 4 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Charlie Q. gave it a10:
Some of the very best hard-edged, pure psychedelic drone you're likely to hear this year.

Dom H. gave it a9:
Sure, the black angels aren't to everyone's taste, and some may deem them to be an anachronism, but it's hard to deny that what they do, they do well. To the converted, enjoy the shivers that DTSAG will send down your spine.

Roger M. gave it a1:
Repetitive and boring, more of the same like the first record, just without any catchy songs or hooks.

Discuss this album in our forums

Return to top of page

Directions To See A Ghost by The Black Angels

Directions To See A Ghost
by The Black Angels