Album Review: Nostalgia 77

[Ghoulish Delight]

I'm in love.

From the very first note of the stand-up bass driven free form jazz intro I heard on KCRW, I was hooked.

The album is The Garden by Nostalgia 77. That irresistable opening track, "Cheney Lane".

The album is a mix of classic jazz, experimental funk, and modern electronica. The hypnotic 7 minute track, "The Hunger", is the meat of the album. It's contrast of dischord and melody are a pleasing challenge to the listener.

The only vocal track on the album caught me be surprise, a soulful, funk infused cover of the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army".

The only thing lacking from this album is studio polish, and that's a good thing. What strikes me most is that, despite the electronica elements and the computer aided composition, the audio quality of the instrumentation is raw and real. You hear every string of the stand up bass, which is the heartbeat of the whole album.

The Garden gets a perfect 5 out of 5 beatniks from me.



$16.98 at Amazon
$8.91 from iTunes.