The debut album from San Francisco-based band Casa Del Sol, Strange Angels consumes with a sound that spans from hypnotic folk intrigue to psych-rock flair and orchestral-laden beauty. Led by singer/songwriter, producer, and guitarist Mad Johnny Modell, Casa Del Sol embrace diverse influences and intimate thematic pursuits, from the modern-day worries of “Love In a Time of War” to the youthfully invigorating powers of love conveyed within “Adorable Corrupter.” Alongside Modell, Casa Del Sol includes drummer Wally Ingram, bassist Mike DiPirro, and keyboardist Mighty Dave Pellicciaro.
Quickly showcasing the project’s dynamic tonal strengths, “Sing My Song” opens the album with compelling qualities. “Feeling like a walking disaster,” vocal introspection delivers amidst steady guitar strums and percussion. This more familiar folk drive expands into gorgeously warming qualities, as harmonious vocal layers meld with twanging guitars as the title-touting hook arrives. A dazed vocal lushness then lingers momentarily; the glistening piano and melancholic vocals exude an almost Lynchian delectable darkness.
The subsequent “Love In a Time of War” enamors with tender guitars, shining organs, and heartfelt vocals — imparting a Neil Young-esque charm. While structurally more predictable than the opening “Sing My Song,” “Love In a Time of War” is most impactful in its moving lyrical themes; the track is about the birth of Modell’s first son, acknowledging the beautiful moments within a world full of tumult. “Everything’s in between, what does this mean?” the vocals let out, conveying a relatable vulnerability as one grapples seeing “love in a time of war,” and trying to balance the positive in life with its brazen “bones knocking on the door,” evil.
While a track like “Cold Water” presents a balmier and less interesting disposition in its more repetitious tonal direction, the album gets back on track with the enveloping “Leaves And Trees.” Weepy strings, mellow keys, and yearning vocals — “I will miss you every day,” — enthrall with an emotively gripping ascent. Ruminations on “the cost of love,” swell into a spine-tingling finale, pondering whether love is never-ending or fleeting. The unbridled vocal passion and atmospheric, dark strings show enjoyable shades of Father John Misty and The National.
“Leaves And Trees” is an emotive tour-de-force, so following it up with the playful “Adorable Corruptor” does well in maintaining a varied balance between solemnity and frolicsome whimsy. In the latter category, “Adorable Corruptor” unveils a bursting rock charisma in its vampire love ethos; Modell wrote the track after his wife Beverly asked for a song about her, and the result is certainly appealing. Bluesy guitar wails and harmonizing vocal layers intertwine for an especially invigorating finale, ultimately stirring in its representation of how love can bring out one’s eternal youth.
While some tracks like “Cold Water” and “These Roads” present a more familiar predictability in their structural navigation and folk-forward sound, Strange Angels is an overall riveting success — largely featuring tracks that captivate with their eclectic tonal and thematic passions. Casa Del Sol succeed with a heartrending, timeless-feeling immersion throughout.
