It started as part-joke, part-challenge. The Austin-based band Brownout were exploring different themes during an extended club residency, and one night they chose to cover Black Sabbath, as many of their members of the grew up listening to the godfathers of darkness. Almost immediately, the 8-piece Latin funk band discovered how deep the currents of jazz and funk run throughout metal. It just clicked, or, rather, jammed. The bass heavy riffs of Sabbath proved the perfect foundation for the band's Latin grooves and fiery horns. Soon, fans of both funk and metal flocked to bang their heads and shake their hips to the amalgamated sounds of "Brown Sabbath" as Brownout took the show on the road. Before their blowout gig in Seattle, Brownout, joined by vocalist Alex Marrero, weaved their spell in the KEXP studio as they performed their versions of four Black Sabbath songs live on the Morning Show with John Richards.
Dan Boeckner may have followed his own advice to “start again”, but even with a new moniker, a new band, and a self-released debut EP released four days after its announcement, there seems to be nothing preventing Boeckner from shining through the darkness, no matter how often he disappears back in…
Like their oddly elastic new album title, Nabuma Rubberband, Little Dragon continues to stretch the limits of electronic music with their eclectic influences. This time, the Swedish group trades the pumping beats of their earlier LPs for glimmering Janet Jackson-inspired slow jams. But even their m…
