Officially, Rising
is album number four from the collective previously known as Batucada Sound
Machine, or BSM. But it’s also a first for the group while wearing a shiny new
B2KDA badge. Such is the fluid nature of this ever-evolving 10-piece-plus
ensemble, it’s quite remarkable how many of these tunes stay faithful to the
modus operandi and work of all previous BSM line-ups. And that’s a good thing –
a proven formula that works. If B2KDA does manage to set out its own stall
under the new guise, then pure unadulterated funk remains very much at its
heart – see tunes like the single, Can’t
Give You (What You’re Asking For), and The
Greatest Step. There’s also a crossover into bass and brass-heavy dub
territories, with king-size slabs of electro (I’m A Physicist), ska (Same
Old Thing), and world music flavours (Por
La Noche). Such is the diversity on offer, Rising appeals as being almost
completely borderless in its widescreen vision, a hybrid of international
sounds blending together in the name of a funky dance party. Which is hardly
surprising given that the album was recorded and pieced together at five or six
different locations across the globe, places as far flung and diverse as
Berlin, Singapore, Dunedin, and umm, Blockhouse Bay. The finishing touches were
added in the studio of Sola Rosa’s Andrew Spraggon, with the end result being a
light and breezy album crammed full of fresh summery vibes.
Host Club: Gymkhana EP
If the tunes found
on this debut EP are anything to go by, then Host Club look set for a big
future. Coming to us straight out of Western Springs High School, as recent
regional Rockquest finalists and yet veterans of Auckland’s vibrant all-ages
scene, Host Club’s most immediate and obvious point of difference is the very
distinctive baritone of lead vocalist Finn Dalbeth. It’s a voice that defies
his teenage years, underpinned by the type of energetic and quirky indie rock
more readily associated with a much older generation. As such, this music
should appeal not only to the band’s own demographic, but also to those of us
raised on the eccentricities and foibles of ’80s pop. Gymkhana was recorded and
mixed by Karl Apao of Soundkard Productions. While each of the four tracks here
offer up something slightly different, it’s the brooding tension and heavy vibe
found on Miscellania, the closer and
single, that showcases the Auckland four-piece at its very best. Whisper it,
lest we place a hex, but these guys might deserve some watching.
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