Australian psych-rockers Blackmilk took three years to complete In Lak’ech, their impressive new album. It’s led by the single “Rattle the Cage”, an excellent demonstration of the band’s chops. After several raucously straightforward verses, the chorus shows its hand as a psychedelic treat that mixes suave guitar strums with mind-numbing twinkles. The delivery is easy to love. “Rattle the Cage” is probably the album’s most accessible effort, alongside the equally vigorous “Court of the Bees”. The more subdued “The Prosecutor” would be more at home on swaying green pastures, with its longing strings and tender acoustics showing Blackmilk’s more intimate side; it’s like comparing “Disarm” to the bulk of Smashing Pumpkins’ material. But don’t think these are the only highlights off In Lak’ech. “Pythia” has a hypnotic southern twang at its heart, in addition to what sounds like an amplified harmonica. Another highlight, “Where Can the Man Go”, resembles a darker alt-rock and blues fusion. Its halted bursts of guitar create somewhat of an uneasy feeling, and it’s part of the song’s charm. When the call-in-response gospel stylings emerge over twangy guitars, “Where Can the Man Go” reaches new anthemic heights. Like the majority of the album, the track presents a polished and exhilarating psych-rock ride with shades of alternative and blues-rock.
