Shortlived, largely unloved and strangely strange, New York’s Michaelangelo tick all the boxes for a Rev-Ola reissue. Led by Angel Autoharp (real name Petersen), the band were purveyors of pleasing psychedelic folk-rock that offended no one and didn’t sell at all well.
It’s a shame, because their secret weapon, the electric autoharp, set them apart from the rest of the East (or, indeed, the West) Coast pack of the time and still sounds like fun. Opener West packs enough sunshine to be Californian, making you wonder if these kids grew up on the right side of the country, so keen is their sunshine-pop sensibility. Meanwhile, Medley: Take It Bach/Michaelangelo is probably the best autoharp psych tune ever recorded, the instrument’s lush resonance and half-classical whimsy chiming perfectly with the bouncy rhythm line.
Produced with the assistance of electronic music pioneer Rachel Elkind and complete with a full history of the band in their own words, this is a little slice of folk weirdness that deserves it’s cult status.
