Two-Way Mirror

iTunes Review

Crystal Antlers’ previous release, 2009’s Tentacles, was a careening, feral trip fueled by the most muscular psychedelic tendencies heard in rock music in a long, long time — actually, in decades. This L.A. band is more than a throwback to those days; they seem to have figured out how to time travel, inhale deeply, and hold it until they burst back through the time shield to 2011, exhaling into cavernous sound booths and analog equipment after pushing the “RECORD” button. “Jules’ Story” ignites Two-Way Mirror, with the Antlers’ trademark roar of ravenous guitars and stinging cymbals pillaging everything in their path. But on “Séance,” there is a bit of a surprise: screamer Jonny Bell’s rage has quelled, to something like an indignant (or alarmed) rant, and it’s a fresh, new texture for the band. Much of Two-Way Mirror is tempered with slightly more refined edges, not just in Bell’s vocals but in the warm, vintage organ notes and melodic song structures. The full-on barn-burners, like the title track and “By the Sawkill,” are blessedly offset by songs like the gorgeous “Summer Solstice” and the hazy “Sun Bleached.”