Eclectic Vibes

by Andrew Frey

Reviews From: Year 2013
Dubtonic Kru - Evolution

Dubtonic Kru - Evolution

Dubtonic Kru
Evolution
Label: VP Records

Appealing to a wide range of audiences through their eclectic range of influences, rhythms and dueling vocals, this award winning, highly acclaimed and hard working reggae dub outfit based out of Jamaica will certainly awaken the Jah within. Appearing July 4 with DJ Trichrome at High Noon Saloon in Madison.

Dubtonic Kru WebsiteDubtonic Kru FacebookDubtonic Kru Wiki

Various Artists - The Unscratchable Itch: A tribute to Little Fyodor

Various Artists - The Unscratchable Itch: A tribute to Little Fyodor

Various Artists
The Unscratchable Itch: A tribute to Little Fyodor
Label: Public Eyesore

Little Fyodor is a twisted and wacky SubGenius superstar from Denver that has been spreading his bent mania for over 20 years; far long enough to deserve a tribute, so this is it! Featured here are 21 mind bubbling retakes on Fyodor songs including the classics, You Give Me A HardOn (Dan Susnara/The Inactivists), I Wanna Be The Buddha (Evan Cantor), The Blackness (Boyd Rice) and Everybody’s Fucking (Lasse Jensen). Who really needs a firm grip on reality anyway?

Various Artists WebsiteVarious Artists FacebookVarious Artists Wiki

ASG - Blood Drive

ASG - Blood Drive

ASG
Blood Drive
Label: Relapse

Somewhere between the vocality and alt pop of Jane’s Addiction and the infectious sludge metal of Baroness is where ASG (Amplification of Self Gratification) find their strongest footings. This mega-riffing North Carolina crew knows how to pour on the body-waving grooves and mate them with melodic vocals to scorch your lobes.

ASG FacebookASG Wiki

Maracatu New York - Baque de Brooklyn

Maracatu New York - Baque de Brooklyn

Maracatu New York
Baque de Brooklyn
Label: Nation Beat Music

If there is to be an Ambassador of Maracatu, Scott Kettner, percussionist, band leader and drummer for Maracatu New York and Nation Beat would be a great choice. After years of study and immersion into this style, while living in Brazil he was able to become a master in the field and take the sound worldwide. Experience the evolution of this unique drumming style through the 12 tracks here and expect the unexpected when they slip in a great cover of Led Zepplin’s “Over The Hills and Far Away.” 

Maracatu New York WebsiteMaracatu New York Facebook

Spiral Rhythm - Rise Up

Spiral Rhythm - Rise Up

Spiral Rhythm
Rise Up
Label: self-released

Rise Up is the result of a successful Kickstarter campaign and so it sparkles and shines from community involvement. In fact, they were a favorite at the spirit festival (PSG) we attended over Summer Solstice. Their multifaceted pro-Goddess a capella pagan chants will warm your heart and soothe your soul as they are caressed with gentle percussion and the vibrancy of the many Goddessy voices that make up this 7 member group. Experience what these sacred space makers have to offer! 

Spiral Rhythm WebsiteSpiral Rhythm Facebook

Valient Thorr - Our Own Masters

Valient Thorr - Our Own Masters

Valient Thorr
Our Own Masters
Label: Volcom Entertainment

Balls-to-the-wall slip sliding stoner sludge metal from North Carolina has never sounded so good! Pulsing and pounding riffs and rhythms spiral and surge, blistering with unvarnished intensity and brilliance. Grab hold! 

Valient Thorr WebsiteValient Thorr FacebookValient Thorr Wiki

The Green - Hawai’i 13

The Green - Hawai’i 13

The Green
Hawai’i 13
Label: Easy Star Records

After chart-topping success (#1 Billboard and iTunes Reggae) and high profile awards (iTunes Best Reggae Album 2010), The Green’s third release focuses on their homeland by charting a journey through Hawaiian life and music in 2013. Boasting 4 singers amid the 5 separate song writers in a 6 member group results in grand diversity amongst the stability of their reggae roots. 

The The Green WebsiteThe The Green FacebookThe The Green Wiki

Michael Franti and Spearhead - All People

Michael Franti and Spearhead - All People

Michael Franti and Spearhead
All People
Label: Universal

Celebrating the beauty of diversity through peaceful, loving melodies and lyrics is a trademark of Franti and crew. Now, 8 studio albums in, Franti has still managed to cling to the peace-loving, socially active principals that propelled him to this point. Supremely danceable grooves and compelling anthemic pop delights will again and again have you on your feet and shaking your wild thang. See them on 9/25 at the Orpheum Theater in Madison, WI. 

Michael Franti and Spearhead WebsiteMichael Franti and Spearhead FacebookMichael Franti and Spearhead Wiki

Pretty Lights - A Color Map of the Sun

Pretty Lights - A Color Map of the Sun

Pretty Lights
A Color Map of the Sun
Label: Pretty Lights Music

After three years of gestation, experimentation, and community-building, Derek Vincent Smith, AKA Pretty Lights, has unfurled one of the most anticipated releases of 2013. Over the last year he collaborated with fellow musicians of all ages and genres, creating a musical journal of their activities (and made a video of it) that emulated time periods spanning the last century, which were then pressed to vinyl and used in conjunction with a custom built analog synth to create his latest masterpiece, with the title inspired by Isaac Newton.

On first listen, the release might blend into a jungle of glitch-ridden jazzy atmospheres, but soon your mind will decipher and unravel the many layers of depth and beauty hidden in each track. Ear candy of the highest order! Like all of his music the entire thing available completely for FREE. But he has also printed hard copies on CD and Vinyl which along with an enormous amount of other fantastic and fashionable PL goodies are available at the PL web page.

Pretty Lights WebsitePretty Lights FacebookPretty Lights Wiki

Tal National - Kaani

Tal National - Kaani

Tal National
Kaani
Label: FatCat

Before becoming the national treasure and pop phenomenon of the West African country of Niger, Tal National honed their craft for 6 long years before recording their first release. Known for their playing all-night-long shows five nights a week in their native country, the band rose to huge success and are in high demand.

Kaani, their first international release, is sung all in Zarma, Haossa (Niger’s main languages), and French. It is a non-stop flurry of Afropop with dancing guitar melodies combined with traditional regional inflections and percussion plus touches of desert blues and soukous that deftly combines the traditional with the modern. Their first international tour stops on 9/21 in Milwaukee, WI at Global Union Festival: Humbolt Park Bandshell.

Tal National WebsiteTal National Facebook

Legendary Pink Dots - The Gethsemane Option

Legendary Pink Dots - The Gethsemane Option

Legendary Pink Dots
The Gethsemane Option
Label: Metropolis

Dark numbing droning rhythms intersect warbling dissonances and copulate with the soured Jesus thematics of the release. After 32 studio albums in 33 years the LPDs still retain the reins on unsettling minimalism that draws listeners in via some creepy beauty and psychological titillations.

The Legendary Pink Dots WebsiteThe Legendary Pink Dots FacebookThe Legendary Pink Dots Wiki

Snoop Lion - Reincarnated

Snoop Lion - Reincarnated

Snoop Lion
Reincarnated
Label: RCA/Red

“The only way to get love is to give love,” states Snoop Lion (the reggae version of rap icon Snoop Dogg) at the beginning of Reincarnated, his chart-topping first musical venture into reggae. Embracing a change of perspective in addition to lifestyle, he traveled to Jamaica to immerse himself in the Rasta of it all. In conjunction with the album, Snoop released an acclaimed feature-length documentary of his journey and career, explaining his change of perspective as well as how the songs on this release came into being. Maybe not be best reggae or dancehall album ever, but this release contains some big name guest appearances and a couple unbelievably catchy songs that will be retained in your brain for many days to come. But with 1.7 billion views on YouTube alone, this may be nothing new to you.

Snoop Lion WebsiteSnoop Lion FacebookSnoop Lion Wiki

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