The Spyrals

San Francisco’s The Spyrals tap deeply into the mind-expanding sounds of bands like The Velvet Underground and The 13th Floor Elevators. There’s hardly a better elixir in the retro-rock scene than filtering dark, droning guitars through psych-rock accoutrements (such as endless spools of reverb, tribal toms, and spiraling guitars). This trio’s one of the better modern purveyors of the sound. “Lonely Eyes” opens up The Spyrals’ debut full-length with reedy, hypnotic guitars, a steady krautrock beat, and Jeff Lewis’ reverb-swathed vocal reaching though the fog. It’s one of the best tracks here, evoking The Velvet Underground, Wooden Shjips, and Clinic all in one flashback-drenched tune. A few tracks revel in the Nuggets garage sound (“Disguise,” “Save Yourself”), while some hint at the dark choogle of Creedence Clearwater Revival (“Trying to Please," "The Rain”) and early Stones (“Long Road Out”). The vintage-worn harmonica on "The Rain" is a nice touch; it lends the tune's brooding CCR groove an added voice, another cry from a lost soul. Extra kudos awarded for infusing the spirit of that great band into their music.