Eclectic Vibes
by Andrew Frey
Passafire - Everyone On Everynight
PassafireEveryone On Everynight
Label: Law Records
A refreshingly colorful approach to utilizing the reggae vibe and riffs while expanding the overall flavor with jam, funk, prog and hard rock. Hooks that slide into your mind and sincere lyrics that pacify or antagonize as needed.
• Passafire WebsiteSlavic Soul Party - Taketron
Slavic Soul PartyTaketron
Label: Barbes Records
Meet the horny side of New York’s Balkan musical revolution which also includes Gogol Bordello and Balkan Beat Box. Brandishing a barrage of briskly driven Balkan rhythms the songs are funneled through their impressive 9 piece horn section formulating highly danceable jazz, funk and folk exercises.
• Slavic Soul Party WebsiteSuit Of Lights - Bacteria
Suit Of LightsBacteria
Label: Visiting Hours Music
I don’t get this. Good quality (well paid?) musicians (including Trevor Dunn) playing the most flaccid, poorly produced alt-pop crap you can imagine. As a bonus, the album cover is forgettable, blaze and unreadable. Wow does this suck!
• Suit Of Lights Website • Suit Of Lights WikiAdam Lambert - For Your Entertainment
Adam LambertFor Your Entertainment
Label: Octjay Records
Without a doubt, one of the most amazing singers and performers to burst upon the musical scene in a long time, Adam rocked the boat and keeps it rocking. Utilizing, but not smothered by industry greats, we are given a great spectrum of Adam’s styles ranging from banging dance to soundtrack to ballads
• Adam Lambert WebsiteBob Blank - The Blank Generation: Blank Tapes NYC 1975-1985
Bob BlankThe Blank Generation: Blank Tapes NYC 1975-1985
Label: Strut Records
From Sun Ra to Gladys Knight To Lydia Lunch, this retrospective encapsulates Bob Blank’s time at the legendary Blank Tape studios. 13 disco, funk, jazz and soul fueled tracks glimpse at the scope and range of what he fostered in his heyday in NYC.
• Bob Blank WebsiteHigh Ceiling - Illusions
High CeilingIllusions
Label: Self Released
Easy flowing reggae escapades that ascend into effervescent jams and rootsy rock anthems. Fundamentally joyful this Washington act lyrically takes time to delve into socio/political topics of relevance while also managing to organize their own festival - Skok Valley Music Rally.
• High Ceiling WebsiteSpy From Cairo - Secretly Famous
Spy From CairoSecretly Famous
Label: Wonderwheel Records
This Spy (aka Moreno Visini aka Zeb) is a prolific musician and producer with hundreds of songs and over 10 albums to his credit. Here, each song is smartly woven with a specific and concentrated Middle Eastern groove to represent the many facets of this wonderful musical panorama while being diffused through a danceable contemporary dub electronica template.
U-Melt - Perfect World
U-MeltPerfect World
Label: Harmonized Records
Invigorating the tricky elements of a wide progressive rock and jam landscape that allows the musical fauna to each be finessed into servitude combining so many diversities. In the end these livened elements becomes a wildly bountiful harvest of musical plenty, displaying unbridled textures, spectral dynamics, existential lyrics and bold song structures which are quite compelling and memorable.
• U-Melt Website • U-Melt WikiCobblestone Jazz - The Modern Deep Left Quartet
Cobblestone JazzThe Modern Deep Left Quartet
Label: !K7 Records
Anchored by lackadaisical and typically repetitive throbbing house beats that glides through smooth free flowing extra minimalistic waves of jazz, funk and fusion spun electronica may be enticing to some, but this ultimately finds me unattached and ejecting in favor of something with more substance, flavor and zest.
• Cobblestone Jazz WebsiteDisco Biscuits - Planet Anthem
Disco BiscuitsPlanet Anthem
Label: SCI Fidelity/Diamond Riggs
Too many avenues of experimentation and guest musicians water down the overall appeal of this release for me. Their usual amazing jamtronica thrust still feeds familiar aspects but their revisioning here also splinters the output into other frontiers of varying success. Doubtlessly still a great live show though.
• Disco Biscuits Website • Disco Biscuits WikiMr. Gnome - Heave Yer Skeleton
Mr. GnomeHeave Yer Skeleton
Label:
Distant atmospheres billow, blast and flutter with fuzzy post punk rhythms and floaty female vocals. This lush psychedelic duo produces soliloquies that travel through near pop realms while maintaining an intimate dose of fantasy and artistic creativity. Mr. Gnome will be appearing 4/30 at The Frequency in Madison.
• Mr. Gnome WebsiteRob Swift - The Architecht
Rob SwiftThe Architecht
Label: Ipecac Records
Quirky and jerky electronics incorporating elements flung far from most current norms. Divergently texturized by the two rapped vocal tracks; the rest of the release captures dynamics and mood from classical music samples to lead us on a unique electronic journey.
• Rob Swift Website • Rob Swift WikiView More
Viewing Page 14 - of 18