SOUNDTRACK: RED BARAAT-Bhangra Pirates (2017).
Although Red Baraat’s first two albums were good, this one leaps beyond the other two. Perhaps its the addition of the guitar–bringing a(nother) new element to their sound. Or perhaps it’s that the whole thing just sounds so much bigger. Half of the songs were recorded live at KEXP which might explain the fresh (and live) sound.
And as one review puts it
Clearer production makes it easier for each of Red Baraat’s chosen musical styles to stand out as they blend together. Jazz, funk, and rock and roll all play important parts on Bhangra Pirates, and it’s clear early on the album, even to newcomers, that Red Baraat is less about sticking to a genre than to doing what makes the whole band – and the whole audience — have a genuinely great time.
It’s here in their discography that I get a little confused. Before this album, they put out an album called Gaadi of Truth which features about half of the same songs as this one. There’s also something called Big Talk which seems to be a remix album of sorts. Talk is available from their bandcamp site but Gaadi is not (although it did get full on reviews when it came out).
There’s a tremendous riff that opens “Horizon Line” and the moody guitar drones really balance it out nicely. Plus the dhol and the rest of the percussion sounds really clear–much more obvious than on the past two records.
“Zindabad” opens with a Middle Eastern guitar riff . After a horn fueled intro the main riff kicks in. And then the vocals come in. No idea what they’re singing about and that’s all the better–it’s fun to chant along. The riff after the first verse is another great brassy one.
There’s some big guitars that open “Banghra Pirates,” and once the song starts the vocals come in. There’s lots of get your body moving sentiment and then some other words which who knows what they are, but rhythmically they’re great. The middle has a great heavy almost metal chugging of chords for a nice slow down before the party starts again.
“Tunak Tunak Tun” is a song they recorded on their debut album. It’s even better here. It’s a cover of a song made popular worldwide by Daler Mehndi (and how much fun is the original). “Rang Barse” opens with what sounds like a sitar although it’s not listed in the instruments. “Bhangale” features guitars from Delicate Steve. There’s some great chanting up front that sounds like “Bhangale ooch oolay wah wah wah.”
“Gaadi of Truth” opens with a big guitar and some very cool effects (particularity on the sousaphone which has a cool underwater sound). The middle has some interjections: “horn please” bwaaaaaaaah “horn please” bwaaaaaaah. There’s a pretty wild and noisy guitar solo too.
“Se Hace Camino” adds Spanish/Latin music to their reprtoire. The song is sung in Spanish and English: “we make the road by walking.” “Akhiyan Udeek Diyan” goes through many different sounds and styles over its 6 minutes, ultimately with a fast rollicking pace before ending.
“Layers” ends the dis with an upbeat almost poppy instrumental. It’s sweet with a kind of call and answer from the horns. It’s a delightful ending to a party disc.
The lineup is largely the same, although they’ve added the guitarist and have changed a few members:
Sunny Jain – dhol & effects/vocals; Rohin Khemani – percussion; Sonny Singh – trumpet/vocals; Ernest Stuart – trombone; Jonathan Goldberger – guitar (all tracks except 5,10); Delicate Steve – guitar (track 5); MiWi La Lupa – bass trumpet/vocals (tracks 3,5,6,8-10); Chris Eddleton – drumset (tracks 1,2,4,7); Tomas Fujiwara – drumset (tracks 3,5,6,8-10); John Altieri – sousaphone & effects (tracks 3,5,6,8-10); Jon Lampley – sousaphone & effects (tracks 1,2,4,7); Jonathon Haffner – soprano saxophone (tracks 1,2,4,7) / alto saxophone (tracks 3,5,6,8-10); Mike Bomwell – soprano saxophone (tracks 3,5,6,8-10) / baritone saxophone (tracks 3,10); not on this recording: Arun Luthra – soprano sax ; Smoota – trombone.
[READ: March 6, 2018] “The Poltroon Husband”
I tend to like Joseph O’Neill stories–there’s usually something in the style and the structure that is pretty enjoyable.
And that was true for this one. I wasn’t blown away, but I really enjoyed it and there were some parts that I enjoyed a lot.
A man and his wife move from Phoenix to Flagstaff. They build a house there from shipping containers (I love that details and I’d love to see what it looks like). He tells his wife that it is going to be their “final abode.” Jayne doesn’t like this designation. But he defended the merits of the phrase with “an argument from reality.” Jayne said he was using “an argument from being really annoying.”
He says that abode means a residence, of course, but it comes from an Old English verb which means To wait. Abide comes from the same root.
One night they are in bed and Jayne hears a noise. They listen, hear a few more noises and what sounds like a cough However, “although the house has two stories and numerous dedicates zones…only the bathrooms are rooms. Otherwise the house comprises a single acoustical unit. Often a noise made in one zone will sound as if it emanated from another.” Continue Reading »
I had never heard of Liberty / Tashi Dorji Duo when I saw they were opening for Godspeed You Black Emperor. I also didn’t know if Liberty was a part of the duo or even if Liberty was a second opening act.
Red Baraat’s second album feels a lot bigger than their debut. The production is bigger, there’s (even) more diverse sounds. And there’s a lot more vocals album.
I Just Read About That... 