“I can help you dream; I can help you scream,” The Black Angels sing, coaxing us into another bewitching psych-rock vortex. Indeed, soaking in Death Song, it’s easy to lose yourself in abstract dreaming and screaming. But in crafting their fifth LP, the Austin quintet drew equally from reality and fantasy, inspired by the contentious atmosphere surrounding the 2016 Presidential Election. You can grasp traces of their ire throughout: On “Medicine,” which sounds like The Velvet Underground tripping on LSD at Studio 54, they allude to the greed behind a broken health-care system; during the hypnotic death march of “Currency,” they lament how cash governs our lives and tears us apart. This lyrical focus offers Death Song an unexpected real-life relevance, but let’s face it—The Black Angels’ essential strength, like most psych bands, is escapism. With his crystalline production, indie-rock legend Phil Eck (Fleet Foxes, The Shins) helps the band expand the already dynamic range of 2013’s Indigo Meadow, captaining their adventures in funky Krautrock-drone (“I Dreamt”), Shins-y pop jangle (“Estimate”) and woozy stoner-blues that make The Black Keys’ recent attempts sound half-assed by comparison (“I’d Kill for Her,” “Comanche Moon”). The album ends with “Life Song,” a signature space-launch. “How can I explain with no voice?” Alex Maas ponders over Dark Side-styled piano and rippling Mellotron. As usual, The Black Angels are up to that task.