August singles

Three completely different flavors of dance friendly music for your enjoyment.

The Wallflowers - Reboot the Mission (from Glad All Over, due October 2012)



It's been a long break between releases for Jakob Dylan's band, the Wallflowers. After big sales and heavy attention in the '90s, the band never seemed to match the popularity of their first two records.

The band is enthusiastic about the new songs, though. Reboot the Mission is the first single off their upcoming album, Glad All Over. The Wallflowers are showing a cool change in direction with this track. They partnered with Mick Jones, who brings a strong sense of his old band, Big Audio Dynamite. The ska tinged rock groove is plenty danceable. I hope the rest of the new album shows a similar kind of reinvention.

Drop by The Wallflowers' site to download your own copy.

Kinky - Despues Del After (from Sueño De La Maquina)



The steady funk bass groove is a wicked hook, baited with a counterpoint of guitar. Kinky's melding of electro-pop, funk, and hip hop on Despues Del After is infectiously fun. My Spanish is a little rusty, but the lyrical flow is ultra-smooth. The video is worth checking out, just to see the light suit guy work his popping moves.

Kinky is one of those bands that may have slipped your radar, but they've placed their songs in commercials, TV shows, and games for years. Their early track, Cornman was the first time I heard the band, but that was ten years ago. They're still going strong and creating compelling jams.

The Mynabirds - Disarm (from Generals)

The Mynabirds - Disarm from Saddle Creek on Vimeo.

Laura Burhenn and the Mynabirds have turned away from the sweet soulful grooves of What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood, which may disappoint some of their fans. On Generals, the Mynabirds are making a political statement and reaching for a completely different sonic palette. Disarm is a bouncy synth-pop romp. Between the dance beat and Burhenn's voice, I keep hearing ABBA, but there's a stronger lyrical foundation. The black and white video is artsy and nicely edited.

Generals is Burhenn's counterpoint to Richard Avendon's portrait of The Generals of the Daughters of the American Revolution. That indignation may slip out more on some of the other tracks, but Disarm is more of an earnest entreaty.