I could review the album and go track by track, praising it up and down, but in this case, I think it might just be better to let you know that you can listen to it for FREE and decide yourself. Then, when you undoubtably decide to purchase it, you can pay whatever you want (a la Radiohead’s In Rainbows).
“Every song was built on an improvisation with the intent of capturing the honesty of first-time feelings that cannot be replicated in second-time reenactments. Church-evoking brass chorals give birth to soulful funk grooves of fever-dream soundtracks. ”
Do not sleep on downloading this album . I am already on my 4th listen and its still getting better.
This Wednesday June 16th, there is an amazing show going on at the new Rockwood Music Hall (Stage 2). It is right next door to the older Rockwood on Allen St just south of Houston St. in downtown Manhattan.
you WILL want to be getting there on the early side because opening the night is the one and only Beyondo @ 8pm. Beyondo is led by none other than singer/trumpeter/comedian Eric Biondo – http://www.ericbiondo.com – who over the last 10 years has achieved something of a cult status in NYC. He is a busy man; not only guiding his band through hundreds of NYC gigs ranging from street festivals, to art galleries, to dive bars, but also performing and recording with Antibalas, TV on the Radio, and Spoon to name a scant few. Beyondo’s ability to relate to his audience is unique because as a writer and a performer, he is able to approach topics from death to dancing and everything in between with sense of humor and reverence. check a few more of his tracks:
The Seahorse and the Storyteller was released on Truth and Soul Records to much critical acclaim in April 2010 and this album is quickly finding many fans who appreciate Leonhart’s eclectic mixture. (I just heard they will be selling vinyl copies at the show too, so bring an extra 20 bucks) If you dig Bollywood soundtracks, Fela Kuti, Radiohead, or The Beatles, this band will probably convert you too. Really, I know I am painting the entire world in a corner by saying that, but this band really does conjure up all of those spirits, and in an incredibly new way. Leonhart, also a singer/trumpeter, has quite an impressive resume and body of work. If you’re curious about it or want to hear some more of his stuff check out – http://www.michaelleonhart.com/
These guys are playing @ Brooklyn Bowl tonight at 11pm. It’s their only NYC appearance this summer, and its only $7 at the door. If you are in williamsburg tonight, this is a solid bet.
And down in Park Slope tonight there is a fun show going on at Southpaw. It’s 10 bucks
Superhuman Happiness is a 6 piece group founded in 2008 to seek joy and love through shared rhythm and melody, composed and improvised. They have one CD, Stuart Bogie’s Superhuman Happiness – Fall Down Seven Time Stand Up Eight, and one 7″ entitled GMYL/Hounds out now on Electric Cowbell Records. The group is led by Stuart Bogie, known best for his work with Antibalas, TV on the Radio, Passion Pit, and most recently the ghost sax of Fela Kuti in the broadway musical Fela!
In their short history, Ikebe Shakedown has played packed clubs/colleges from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, San Francisco to Vermont. Their debut 7” single and EP Hard Steppin’ was recorded at Dunham Studios in Brooklyn and has received a great response from press/radio (BBC6, WWOZ New Orleans). Riding their momentum, Ikebe has already recorded their next full-length album at Killion Sound in Los Angeles (Orgone, Breakestra, The Lions), due in Summer 2010.
“Akoya and its multinational 13 member ensemble actively carry the tradition of Nigerian musical legend/politician Fela Kuti and his Egypt 80 cavalcade. Aside from a rich repertoire of Fela’s compositions, Akoya has two albums worth of original works, “Introducing Akoya Afrobeat Ensemble” & “P.D.P. (President Dey Pass),” that feature lead vocalist Kaleta, who for 10 years performed and recorded with the immortal Fela Kuti, and has also toured with Femi Kuti as well as the legendary King Sunny Ade. “
If you have been anywhere near a NYC subway in the past 2 years, chances are you have probably run into The Underground Horns already. This might just be the hardest working band in nyc given that they play at least 3 times a week in the parks, on the streets, and in the subway tunnels of our fair city. Kind of like the postal service in that they do not let rain, snow, sleet, or fog get in their way of bringing their brass and skins out. I saw em a few weeks ago @ Nublu and they sounded even better there than they do underground.
Knights On Earth’s music is somehow relaxed and cathartic at the same time. They have this innate beauty that seems to bring people to tears. Like regularly. I myself have lost it a few times while sitting in Rockwood Music Hall where they have held monthly residency over the past year or 2. And more than one friend told me she lost it at their CD release party at LPR last month.
Odessa is definitely something of a departure for Hylofi whose “industrial-samba-funk” is put on hold for a moment of acoustic introspection. In addition to the regular members of Hylofi, it features the Bulgarian singer Vlada Tomova who performs with Balkan Beat Box, and Stuart Bogie and Eric Biondo of Antibalas on tenor sax and trumpet, respectively.
ok well the other one is just kind of funny cuz he’s so stoned in it, but this one is actually thoughtful. what a beautiful musician. also classic, but fo real this time
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