Too many young psychedelic rockers pour sheets of glistening reverb onto their bedroom recordings in an attempt to conceal drab songwriting. At least Long Beach, California’s Crystal Antlers have nothing to hide in terms of musicianship — the two-man percussion crew is an agile, interlocking force, the two guitarists can stir up a garage-prog fury, and the free-floating clouds of organ set a nicely claustrophobic mood. But too often on the Antlers’ second full-length, their washed-out melodies suggest powerfully memorable hooks that never fully materialize or cohere.
