Pink Mountaintops’ self-titled debut paid tribute to the Velvet Underground, and on their sophomore release, Axis of Evol, Stephen McBean (also founder of psych-rockers Black Mountain) expands the band’s sound to include the specters of other musical mind-benders: McBean’s hollow warble on the acoustic “Comas” recalls early Pink Floyd genius Syd Barrett; the post-punkish “New Drug Queens” has a dark, danceable Ian Curtis soul; and the tumbling bass and hazy, droning guitars on “Lord, Let Us Shine” and “Slaves” conjure the much-missed Spacemen 3. Trading in the simmering sexual energy of Pink Mountaintops for a more spiritual theme, Axis of Evol has a subdued, earthy vibe, even in the face of feverish hallucinations and lapses of faith. “Plastic Man, You’re the Devil” feels like a hippie boy’s soul-searching blues, and the naked, mournful “How Can We Get Free” is both chilling and endearing.