Austin's
Raindoggs have just released their new album ‘One Armed Bandits’ The album, which is the follow-up to their 2011 ‘Red to Black’, is available on
iTunes, Amazon and other online music stores by mid- July.
Stream the album below....
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Guest Review by Moose Barber - Hornman Extraordinaire for Seattle's
Cascadia '10,
Soul Senate and
Kissing Potion
In a previous lifetime I lived in Baltimore and I had this friend named Bean. He lived in apartment 1B. Since I lived in apartment 1A, that made us neighbors. We'd often go out to dinner with his wife or friends and we made it a point to never visit the same restaurant twice. Bean knew me well, and as soon as we would sit down, the lanky wise-ass would say, "I know exactly what Moose is going to order!" and he would pick the most unusual item on the menu. And damned if he wasn't always right. Variety is the spice of life, they say. And who am I to disappoint an audience?
Much is similar in The Raindoggs' new release "One
Armed Bandits". This is a multi-faceted menu, with each song having a
distinctly different influence and flavor from the next. There are wide
variations, from the funky "Stuck in RED", to the ethereal "My
Medicine", to the highly danceable "Slight of Hand" &
"But You're Mine", the dirge-like "Daddy May I", and the
rockin' "Ain't the Madonna, Ain't Your Whore". However, even with
this wide a palette, the group never loses its own cohesive, identifiable
sound. It remains consistent across the board, with wah-wah guitars, saucy
horns, liberal use of electronics and samples, and sultry vocals. With all its
cohesive range, "One Armed Bandits" delivers.
The production is lush and layered, and, at moments, I get
hints of influences of Dr. John, Tom Waits, and even...Timbuk3? There's
something dark at times, and other times it's a full on party. They even
include an instrumental track "black", and it brings home they would
fit properly on a soundtrack. With all the horns, sometimes cacophony,
plentiful vibe, and steady beat, perhaps we're all marching in a spectacular
and angular Mardis Gras parade across the sun-drenched desert of humanity's
collective soul?
I could go for that, and here we are, seated at
the table. So, what would I order from this menu? I might have to call up Bean
and ask him, because I'm often indecisive and this menu is varied and delicious
