The Missionary Position

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to call Jeff Angell the Jeffrey Lee Pierce of Seattle, but a quick listen to Diamonds in a Dead Sky, the Missionary Position's latest full-length, reveals rich, sonically diverse songwriting coupled with emotionally raw performances in all the right places. Although a...

By Tom Murphy

March 8, 2011

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It might be a bit of an exaggeration to call Jeff Angell the Jeffrey Lee Pierce of Seattle, but a quick listen to Diamonds in a Dead Sky, the Missionary Position's latest full-length, reveals rich, sonically diverse songwriting coupled with emotionally raw performances in all the right places. Although a lot of bluesy rock-and-roll these days is nothing more than a living museum piece, this quartet doesn't seem trapped by tradition. Utilizing atmospheric elements and a broad range of dynamics and textures, Angell and company have created a sound that draws on the familiar and dares to go beyond the boundaries of roots music. Weaving together psychedelia, dream pop and a kind of dark funk that could only have come from the South, the Missionary Position reveals its strength with its frayed roots.

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Tom Murphy is a writer, visual artist and musician from Aurora, Colorado. He was a prolific music writer for Westword and a documenter of the Denver music scene.

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