As augured by the arrival of not one but two 45s back in December, here finally is the debut long player from The Rayvelles entitled – well – The Rayvelles. The cover depicts an ice cube comfortably settled in something suggestive of vintage high-proof spirits in a darkened late night setting and the album opens with the suitably noirish psych-funk of Return Of The Soul Sabre a.k.a. the B-side to one of the aforementioned singles. As it turns out, the album also closes with the highly accomplished and even darker psych-funk of Sebastien And The Void while further soundtrack/ psych thrills can be found notably on the sinister simmer of Heavy Bop mid-set and also on the skeletal boom-bap of Hush Mo. In addition, this mostly instrumental album provides a brace non-psychedelic soundtrack funk and soul too – the lazy sunshine soul of Lough Lannagh (Late 90s), and the Roy Budd-ish Live Terminals which will appeal to fans of Surprise Chef and the like.
But as those early singles implied (and all tracks of both singles appear on this set), The Rayvelles have at least two more strings to their bow – one of which is a neat line in female vocal soul, here represented by three tracks. The singer on two of these – the wistful former single Tumblin’ Down and the equally wistful other former single Nothing But Reasons is finally unmasked as Marietta Smith of Smith & The Honey Badgers and The Allergies fame, so you’ll probably be unsurprised to learn that at least one member of The Rayvelles can also be found in the Smith & The Honey Badgers line-up. That third female vocal soul track (and also potential single material) entitled One Black Candle is of similar ilk but with a more prominent boom-bap beat featuring Anice Ossoulian. And that other string? Oh yes – that will be the chugging slab of deep funk that is Suns Of Marvin (the former B-side to the Nothing But Reasons 45) – demonstrating a band who know how to keep a crowd well and truly pleased.
(Out now HERE)