Crooked Flower, the eccentric Berkeley-based rockers eagerly sit on the verge of releasing their latest EP, Darkness and Light. Consisting of four genre-bending tracks, it’s a safe bet to assume this killer collection of music will turn more than a few heads. If you have an insatiable fever for a fantastically diverse mix of alternative, trippy, damn near psychedelic rock with a female tour de force leading the charge, well- Darkness and Light may just be the cure you’ve been looking for!
Through four tracks lead singer Angelina Dang mesmerizes with her sultry, at times sassy, hypnotic voice. On the kickoff track “Moving On”, the opening fifteen seconds may signal a slight thought of A Perfect Circle but that initial observation soon fades. The multi-faceted Dang playfully delivers lines over a bed of colorful instrumentation that can be best described as a modern-day mix of surf-rock, reggae, and even some slight nods to country sensibilities all in the form of a musical acid trip.
“Tunnel of Light” subscribes to the tounge-in-cheek sentiment, “Don’t bore us. Get to the chorus!” And what a chorus. In a post-No Doubt world, female singers often find themselves compared to Gwen Stefani. Similar to Stefani, Dang seemingly auto-biographical lyrics draw you into her world- taking her lyrics and making them your story. The trippy” Boyfriend” with it’s lyric, “Won’t you be my boyfriend? I’m obsessed with you”, I mean, come on. Who can’t relate to that longing?
What separates Crooked Flower from an average band, therefore elevating them to a complete powerhouse is that in addition to Dang, the rest of the band matches her in intensity and musical prowess. The guitar work on “Moving On” alone solidifies guitarist Dan Ingberman’s status as a gun-slinger of a guitarist while the shuffling, funky rhythm section of bassist Daniel Erik and drummer Patrick Shields keep the tracks danceable and fun while holding down the fort.
On May 23rd, when Darkness and Light comes to life, you’d be best advised to check this band out. The courage of the band’s experimental nature is not too dissimilar to the out of left field sounds of Jane’s Addiction’s early work or the middle era of No Doubt. That’s high praise- but Crooked Flower deserve that and more. Check them out on their social media sites below!
