March 29, 2010

Michael Leonhart & Avramina 7//Scopolamine

Flash back and forward Monday Mail!
What is Monday Mail?

I will add sending me a picture of the record that contains the song you are sending to the list of ways to get my attention when it comes to submissions. This is exactly what Truth & Soul did and yeah, it works:

Long time trumpet player for many of the T&S releases, Michael Leonhart has masterfully created something that sounds like the musical love child of R.D Burman, Fela Kuti, & Beck. A mix of reverb drenched vocals, afro beat horns, and fluttering tablas all work in perfect harmony on The Avramina 7's first single on Truth & Soul.


Truth be told, I am usually deluged with all the newest hits (and non-hits) from indie rockers, popsters and folkers from around the world. Now, that’s cool. I do really like those genres and if you regularly read this blog, you might like them too. That said, what I most enjoy is the mind-blowing variety that comes with listening to EVERYTHING under the sun. So, when an amazingly funky JAM with so much natural GROOVE shows up in my inbox, I cannot resist.

Please tell me you have a cigar you can smoke, a skinny tie you can wear and a desk you can put your feet up on while you listen to this smooth track. It’s by Michael Leonhart aka the youngest Grammy recipient in history. Leonhart, who has performed with everyone from Yoko Ono to Mos Def to Caetano Veloso to Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, has somehow made his music sound at once like a throwback to 70s funk and like a fast forward to some kind of futuristic genre mashup. His newest album is a concept piece called Seahorse and The Storyteller, which, from the few tracks I listened to, is definitely worth checking out. From the Truth & Soul site:

While on the road with Steely Dan in 2005, Leonhart came up with the idea to record a concept record that would meld the styles of Bollywood funk scores, 60's psychedelic rock, and the mythical storytelling of artists like Peter, Paul, & Mary and Donovan. "Seahorse and The Storyteller" is a modern musical opera that in the words of Leonhart, "tells the story of two mythical creatures who meet, fall in love and begin piecing together the mysteries of each others past."

Rad.



Scopolamine.mp3

What’s she doing with that bottle of spraypaint?

No comments: