Sundays & Cybele: On The Grass
Last week we ended our European jam-finding mission and appeared to be on our way home. But, with the holiday, the kids have the week off, our bags are already packed and there are so many more great releases left to dig into, so let’s see what the rest of the world has to offer one more time before turning the calendar. That’s right, another trip Around the World in a Neddy Daze. We’ll start in Japan with some killer psych-rock (the best psych-rock is Japanese psych-rock) from Sundays & Cybele. The group’s newest release is On The Grass and is filled with some truly excellent jammers, totally duty free. Check ‘em out!!
Orchestra Of Spheres: Mirror
We don’t often get out to New Zealand, do we? Well, let’s fix that! In Wellington, we find the band Orchestra Of Spheres, one of those groups in the genre of “defies classification.” The newest release is Mirror and packs so many musical ideas and weird, oftentimes homemade one-of-a-kind instrumentation, in to a single album that it’ll spin you dizzy with delight. Orchestral pop, ecstatic funk, free-ranging jazz and plenty of weirdo miscellany, this is one of those records you kind of just have to dive into head first. Which I highly recommend you do. Give it a little to sink in, I think you’ll dig.
Baba Commandant & the Mandingo Band: Sira Ba Kele
There are plenty of bands doing some variant on the afrobeat thing, but that doesn’t mean they’re all created equal. As we float the RecommNeds dirigible across the sea, we set down in Burkina Faso and there we find Baba Commandant & The Mandingo Band already in a deep groove. Their new record is called Sira Ba Kele and it is a superlative set of straight-from-the-source funk. Spiraling guitar and compulsive rhythms will have you moving whether you want to or not. This is the good shit, I assure you. Enjoy!
Bixiga 70: Quebra Cabeça
I know you’re having a great time getting your boogie on, so let’s keep the party going with one more stop. This time over to Brazil, Sao Paulo to be precise. The band is Bixiga 70, a 10-piece powerhouse of dark, almost-psychedelic afro-Brazilian boogie. On their newest release, Quebra Cabeça, they prove themselves to be masters of the groove, a big band for a big, almost overwhelming sound. They subtly mix in different elements, taking your mind for a little journey without ever sacrificing that serious funk that will have your feet and body trying to keep up. We’ve got to end the RecommNeds year with a party and Bixiga 70 provide the perfect soundtrack. Go get at it!! I hope you’ve enjoyed all the new tunes domestic and international in 2018, of course the music-discovery train never stops and we’ll be back in 2019 with more great new tunes, that I can promise you. Happy New Year!
