My Brothers Banned
Meet Me In The Park Off
White Trash Records
The Mohegan Colony musical collective My Brothers Banned are known for their rather happy-go-lucky style. The band has a standing gig at the NYC Marathon at the corner of 63rd and 1st St. For over half a decade they’ve been entertaining runners, shouting words of encouragement and adding a special ambiance to the race. Similarly, Meet Me In The Park is a nice running record, working up from a rather mellow tempo with the album’s namesake track on through to the groovy “Goodnight Sister”, brushes and drumbeat setting a jogging pace. While not necessarily a sprint, the record swells with effortless harmonies and strong percussion. My Brothers Banned draws heavily from the Byrds and Gram Parsons, adding a bit of country twang to each track as well. Recalling the jam sessions of Summers in the Park’s past, Meet Me In The Park is an open invitation to enjoy the music.—Emily Hingle
The Blacklight Bros.
Ditches to Doorways
Independent
Though there may only be two Blacklight Bros., this band makes a lot of interesting and varied music with the help of guest musicians. I love the opening song “Chango Baby.” Veteran drummer Joe Fazzio provides a sexy drum beat with jangly old-sounding keyboard and eerie vocals and barroom jazz trumpet by guest artist Lacy Allen Blackledge. “Just One Thing” follows the tone of the first, but with 1960s style guitars by guitarist/vocalist Casey Saba (think Venus, but darker), and a chorus of vocals at parts, and an amazing guitar solo by the talented guitarist Robert Fortune. “Dream, Dream No More” and “Not Long for This World” are less intense, but still great pieces. The great cover art by Chuck Wright also deserves mention. Ditches to Doorways is an all-around pleaser, and a different sound than you’ll find around the city. —Emily Hingle
Spyboy
Spyboy
Independent
New Orleans-based Spyboy’s self-titled debut album is a collection of 12 original songs that, while firmly based in jazz and post-bop, traverse a surprising amount of stylistic terrain. The album was produced by Karl Denson, the prodigious saxophonist best known for his work with Greyboy Allstars and Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and who often appears on stage with Spyboy. Thus, as one might expect, much of the album bears his stylistic mark. At the same time, one can hear the influences of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Weather Report, Coltrane, Bill Frisell and Pat Methany at various points throughout the album. Kicking off the light and atmospheric “Etude #1,” the band moves immediately into the dark and funky blues progression of “Theme for Change.” With “Bring Back,” Spyboy plays a sort of jam band rock affixed, of course, with the ever-present jazz elements. The few lyrical numbers nestled among the instrumentals that dominate this album, likewise, also diverge from the rest of the record.
“Wounded Knee” has a bittersweet warmth —reminiscent of some of Hugh Masekela’s work—layered over a basic pop-rock song structure, while “Possibilities” has a gentle pop-folk feel, similar to much of the material on the last Avett Brothers’ album, accentuated by finger-picked acoustic guitar. While the technical musical skill and composition is impressive, what really made Spyboy shine is how well it fits together as an album in spite of wide stylistic variation – the next song may sound different, but not random. This is especially striking at a time when sales of complete albums are losing ground to singlesong downloads, and artists, in general, are less-concerned with the dying art of song selection. Furthermore, while there are a few solid dance numbers on here, this is more of an album for sitting in the living room and listening over a bottle of wine. Some listeners will find this record just a little too nerdy or technical for their tastes. Spyboy will likely find its greatest appeal among fans of eclectic post-bop.—Garrett Pittman
Friends of fire
Categorized Ramblings and Other Debris
Total Riot Records
On their second album, Categorized Ramblings and Other Debris, New Orleans’ grown Friends of Fire deliver an eclectic compilation of tracks ranging from upbeat pop-punk to postgrunge rock. The first few songs bear a subtle resemblance to the work of contemporary rock bands like The Strokes, but with a twist of electronic synthesizing arrangements. The album eventually progresses into a more serious sound, reminiscent the late ‘90s alt-rock.
“Ur So Crzy,” “Stop Trippin” and “Please, Don’t Be That Way” set the tone for the album while songs like “Do What I Want” and “Overrated” offer a transition into a more poppunk style sound. The drums kick in big time in “Survivors of a Disintegrated Solar System” and “Groove” providing the crucial pitch to a well-balanced set of work. The track “January 4, 2007” sounds a lot like something Trent Reznor would compose for a David Fincher film. The band, which has been around since ’05, also decided to bring back from its first album a new and improved remix of “Coffee,” a catchy and upbeat melody with a not-somerry theme, reminiscent of the ‘80s works like Unsatisfied by The Replacements.
With Ramblings, Friends of Fire joins an emerging group of local indie bands bringing a fresh new take on the rock genre to our city. —Cristina Wollenberg
Quinton Gerard W.
Before It’s Gone
O.T.S. Music
Looking at the album art on Before It’s Gone is kind of misleading. While the CD case is adorned with sepia images of rustic bridges and waterfalls, the music inside is urbane, soulful and very, very sexy. Gerard’s saxophone style definitely speaks of Kenny Garrett, whose influence is acknowledged in the liner notes, though the overall feel of the album falls somewhere between Luther Vandross and Shuggie Otis, with just a splash of Isaac Hayes. A native of Norco, Louisiana, Gerard elucidates a musical philosophy driven by innovation and synthesis in both his words and music, which he reveals in this collection of 13 all-original compositions. Though Gerard’s sax is the undeniable star of the album, he also proves himself an adept multi-instrumentalist, backing himself ably on keys, bass and flute at various points throughout B.I.G. Moreover, the album progresses remarkably well, moving from textured R&B rhythms into a hypnotic electronic trance and back again without losing the steady nocturnal pulse that unites the album as a singular life form. Quinton Gerard W. is among the few artists that has truly elevated the art of baby-making music.—Garrett Pittman
Christian Serpas & Ghost Town
Open Road
Independent
Open Road, the fifth release by Mandevillenative Christian Serpas and Ghost Town, is a solid collection of rocktinged country music from a hard-working local songwriter that has largely escaped public recognition. One might be tempted file this album under the nebulous catch-all “Americana” if it did not do some violence to the creative talents of the men who produced it. While Open Road doesn’t depart significantly from the Ghost Town vibe that has defined previous albums, it is still a formula that works. Building on the classical country themes of hard-drinking and heartache, the band is at its best on the harder driving tracks like the album opener, “What Took You So Long,” and the heavy honky tonk of “Just Keep Walking.” While this may not be the best country album to come out this year, it is easily accessible for casual country listeners and newcomers to the genre and is a welcome addition to a local country music scene that is still off the radar for most New Orleans music fans.—Garrett Pittman
Scott Schmidt
Timepiece
Indie
Scott Schmidt is known for fronting local cover band The Boogiemen, but explores his creative side independently with original songs from his latest CD, Timepiece. Schmidt gets things rocking with “Doghouse” before nailing a cover of Daryl Hall & John Oats “Lady Rain.” He brings an intriguing interpretation of “Somewhere in Time,” the same theme song from
the classic 1980 movie entitled the same, but brings in lyrics by R. Paddison and dedicates the beautiful composition to Corliss Schmidt. If you’re a fan of The Boogiemen, then you’ll adore this solo piece by Schmidt as it takes you on a fun filled musical journey full of soulful ballads bursting with meaning and old time rock n’ roll. –J.J.
Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue
For True
Verve
After 2010’s highly successful Backatown, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue are at it again with the spiritlifting For True. Produced by Galactic’s Ben Ellman, For True is a little bit of everything that caters to locals and fans from afar alike. Call it the gospel according to Troy: sweet vocals that rival his skills on the horn give way to rocking, tight horns and lush guitar on songs like “Mrs. Orleans.” That level of musicianship takes the playful love song to new heights and even features a surprisingly well-flowing rap from Kid Rock. The special guests keep coming and adding their flavor to the mix, as Ivan and Cyril Neville up the funky factor in “Nervis.” Even the instrumental “Lagniappe” (parts one and two) feel like more than a little something extra. The album’s title track is Shorty at his purest: horn deftly blaring above the musical backdrop of organ mingling with harmonious horns and rollicking percussion. For True is an inspired record that takes an already accomplished artist to new heights and with such momentum, Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue has nowhere to go but up.
—April Siese
Gravity A
Renegade Masters EP
Independent/www.GravityA.com
Gravity A’s Renegade Masters is the kind of album that keeps you guessing. Each of its mostly instrumental tracks progressively solidifies its sound from a selection of improvisational stylings—electronica, jazz and funk —stacking on new layers when you least expect it.
Renegade Masters breaks out with the title track, wasting no time prodding the party to life with a funky house beat that progressively streams into a tsnuami of break-beat drumming and wailing jazz guitars. “Goofy Song” begins with a sedate-synth rhythm, smoothly easing into a soothing, down-tempo lounge groove. The album closer, “Some1 Like U,” is a steadily-paced trance-y track that can both hype up a crowd, or play as a cool psychedelic vibe to chill out to—the EP’s stand out song.
Gravity A’s sound reminds me of a lesscalculated, more organic early Fatboy Slim.
As playfully unpredictable as this sampler is, it is an incomplete taste of the high-energy thrill of their live performance.
And the price is right—download Renegade Masters on the house at www.GravityA.com. —Greg Roques
Flite Boy
Flite Boy
Stone Ground Productions
Remember when T-Pain and Andy Samberg proclaimed “I’m on a Boat?” Well, local rapper Flite Boy is on a plane—a point he makes unquestionably clear on his promo EP, the theme of which—from the lyrics to the song titles to the album artwork—boasts the joys of owning one’s own commercial airliner.
While lacking the fluid narrative of a “concept” album, Flite Boy’s rhymes primarily orbit around the afformentioned aerial plot device. The EP’s subject matter is comprised of a series of fragmented fantasies tapped straight from Flite Boy’s ID, with reocurring themes of decadent first class service and the MC casting himself as a Mile High Club Caligula. Suspending disbelief is suggested to fully enjoy your in-flight experience—I’m still impressed Flite Boy can toast champagne, get “brained,” and manage to navigate the plane.
Lyrical delusions of grandeur aside, what makes this album work is the first rate production. The EP features complex, multitextured rythms ranging from swooning electro-R&B to club-banging beats, far more interesting than anything popular in most modern commercial hip-hop. Flite Boy ‘s delivery is quick-witted and most often seemingly tongue-in-cheek, welcoming you into his airborne daydream. If you’re looking for something fun to bump real loud, you’ll want to board this flight.—Greg Roques
Gordon Goodwin’s Big phat Band
That’s How We Roll
Telarc
The latest from Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band boasts a myriad of jazz styles, along with the band’s signature fast changes and Ellingtonian chords. Horns swell over a Latin drumbeat on “Howdiz Songo?”. Each sax solo Goodwin gives is rather smooth compared to the brash brass but makes for a nice contrast on songs like “It’s Not Polite To Point” and “Race to the Bridge”, both of which teem with Stan Kenton style. The California-based band draw from many influences, with a rotating roster of all-stars including Wayne Bergeron and Andy Martin, both of whom have done studio work with the eclectic indie rock group Eels. Big Phat Band takes each jazz genre they work with and twist them with another masterfully. The final track, the standard “Rhapsody In Blue” is riffing at its best, each instrument feeding into another, from clarinet to sax to muted trumpet. Overall it’s a solid album.—April Siese
Various Artists
Bossa Nova Around the World
Putumayo
Since 1993, Putumayo World Music has committed themselves to creating collections of great music of countless styles from virtually every corner of the Earth. Bossa Nova Around the World, continues this trend by showcasing the globalization of the iconic
Brazilian
musical style through prominent artists from numerous countries and
four different continents. Bossa Nova, which is Portuguese for “new
trend,” originated in Rio in the mid-1950s and, in the following
decades, it has become one of the few musical styles that have truly
gone global. In Bossa Nova Around the World, the listener really
gets a sense of the way this tradition has been adapted and reinvented
to achieve its pannational stature, with particular emphasis on the
substantial impact that Brazilian artists have had on the European jazz
scene. Some of the featured artists, such as Pierre Aderne and Amanda
Martinez, are from transnational families, while in the case of Bïa,
forced exile at the hands of Brazil’s past military government helped
spread bossa nova throughout the globe. Still others are cosmopolitans
of the heart that simply fell for the intoxicating samba rhythms and
smooth instrumentation that are emblematic of the bossa nova sound.
Moreover, while many of the artists follow are true to the sounds of the
old Brazilian masters, some, such as France’s Didier Sustrac and
Germany’s 2raumwohnung, have introduced electric pop instrumentation to
create works of art that are at once transnational and supergeneric.
Monla, a prolific and eclectic neo-traditionalist from South Korea, uses
her distinctive vocals to mold ethereal sonic dreamscapes in her
original arrangement, “Railroad,” while Norway’s Hilde Hefte and the
French duo Tom & Joy both update classic compositions from the great
Antonio Carlos Jobim. The Serbian trumpet player Dusko Goykovich
explores unexpected links between the sounds of Brazil and Eastern
Europe in the instrumental “Menina Moça,” while the Cape Verdean singer
Nancy Vieira has a voice of such emotion and beauty that it seems to
transcend place altogether.
Bossa Nova Around the World brings together an impressive and fun array of sounds that would not likely be on the pedestrian listener’s playlist and makes them accessible to a broader audience. Putumayo has once again created a fine collection of songs for the musically curious.—Garrett Pittman
Various Artists
Rumba Mambo Cha-Cha-Cha
Putumayo World Music
Rumba Mambo Cha- Cha-Cha features great timeless classics of Latin rhythms creating a perfect mood. Tradicuba performs the classic “Potpourri de Cha Cha Cha” while Fruko y Sus Tesos livens things up with “Mambo #5,” a song that is world renowned. A real treat is Salsa Celtica’s “Esperanza” that combines Celtic flavors to traditional Latin rhythms. The music is fabulous to listen and dance to, and with tunes like “Cereza Rosa,” “Mi Chachacha,” and “Oriente” you’ll adore listening to this CD while sipping on some grand sangria outdoors. Be sure to pick this one up for your celebrations!—J.J.
