Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band - Expansions - VINYL LP

Recorded in early February 2004 at Word of Mouth Studios in New Orleans, this 13 session features Topsy Chapman and Juanita Brooks. This ensemble is Edegran's Wednesday night band from the Palm Court. Also includes band members Sammy Rimington, Robert Harris, Bill Huntington and Shannon Powell.

Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band, the mysterious steel pan outfit hailing from Hamburg, Germany have amassed a cult following around the globe. With a slew of classic 7Inchs and three critically acclaimed full length albums, they set a high bar for themselves, one they clearly intend on pushing even higher with this new offering. On their fourth album BRSB, Bacao are back with more of the same, but more of the same with them is inherently different. Covering songs that span genres and range from mega hits to underground album cuts, they make them their own with their unique approach to the traditional steel pans of Trinidad and Tobago. While part of the allure of a new Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band album is finding out what covers they do it is equally intriguing to see what original tunes they cooked upland this record is foul of stand out originals. The album opener, InchIn The CrosshairsInch is a rough and tough mid tempo head nodder while both InchGrilledInch & InchTreasure QuestInch pick up the tempo with heavy African Funk influences on both. Bacao goes deep with InchHazy MemoriesInch, a bass heavy slow burner that walks a line between hypnotic and hype. All these originals stand as testament that the term Inchcover bandInch is a shoe that could never fit Bacao. However, in the tradition of steel pan music, they do a heavy amount of covers. This time around there is a big West Coast Hip Hop influence with covers of Game & 50 Cent's InchHow We DoInch, Dr Dre & Snoop Dogg's InchNuthin But A G ThangInch, and Tupac's InchGot My Mind Made UpInch all of which take on new energy and lend themselves to the BRSB steel treatment. Bacao puts another certified dancefloor filler on their resume with their cover of Claudja Barry's uber Disco classic InchLove For The Sake Of LoveInch which they flip into a dubbed out affair aptly changing even the title to InchLove For The Sake Of DubInc

Opaque Yellow LP. Spinning the raw emotions and unfettered delivery of power pop and emo, California outfitJOYCE MANORemerged inthe late 2000s with a blistering punk sound on their eponymous debut (2011) and follow-upOf All Things I Will Soon GrowTired (2012). Developing restraint and slowing things down, they took cues from pop-punk and indie rock on their Epitaphlabel debutNever Hungover Again, which drew upon influences Weezer and Jawbreaker, a maturation that continued on2016's Cody and 2018'sMillion Dollars to Kill Me. Based out of Torrance, California, JOYCE MANORgot it's start in late 2008, conceived as the acoustic pop-punk duo of Barry Johnson (vocals, guitar) and Chase Knobbe (guitar). That idea didn't lastlong, however, and the band ultimately expanded, with friends coming and going until the lineup settled down a year later. JOYCE MANORreturn withSongs From Northern Torrance a collection of b-sides and alternate versions of fan favoritespulled from the band's personal archives. The album kicks off with InchHouse Warning Party, Inch a one-minute blast of lo-fi good-ness that offers a glimpse into the band's humble beginnings as a two-piece folk-punk outfit. Lyrics of suburban angst forgewith upbeat drums and swift, jangly guitars that make it impossible to not bounce your head along to. As a band who havecome to define West Coast indie-punk, JOYCE MANORremains one of the most popular bands in the genre and this trackis a rarity their fans will surely love.