Long overdue some coverage on MB is the new Surefire Soul Ensemble long player Gemini which dropped nearly a month ago now. And it more than lives up to the promise of lead single Las Olas back in January which the monkey then described as coming on like, “Lalo Schifrin’s in the driving seat but Alice Coltrane is navigating.” This is a gloriously warm and luxuriant tribute to the jazz, funk and soul-informed cinematic soundscapes of the ‘Age of Aquarius’ and equally to the sun-dappled coastal highways of California – perhaps unsurprisingly given that the band hail from San Diego. In short, it’s a trip and every track is a gem.
Opener Makin’ Moves’ sets the tone with it’s louche jangly funk rhythms featuring a flute topline. Former single Las Olas comes next adding (Alice) Coltrane-esque spiritual jazz melodies over more chilled funky rhythms before turning back to moody funkiness on The Grifter. This latter darkens the mood as squalling guitar vies with trumpet like some intense hippy dude has suddenly up at the party and harshed everyone’s mellow – what did he say his name was again? Manuel? Mansell? No – Manson, that was it. You get the vibe. Mother Earth is back to the jazzy, summery spiritualisms also to be found on the title track (albeit in slightly more forthright mode there) while the equally chilled Freddie rocks a fat drum break and brings even more of those sinuous flute melodies again. Don’t Trip is arguably both the jazziest cut and the least unlike anything else on the LP and laced with ghostly organ trills in the background while rhythm piano and horns take the foreground. And so it goes, the band keeping it tight to the very end with epic closer Corporatocracy which begins with brooding sitar and birdsong, adds in tabla craziness and eventually, after almost a minute, a rolling funky rhythm once more with the flute. These guys can do no wrong.
(Out now on Colemine Records)