The
Stepkids are a trio who combine their musical background in funk, psychedelia
and jazz with a serious pop pedigree. On Troubadour, the follow up to their
self-titled debut, the band brings together the best of both worlds, deploying
experimental influences and virtuoso instrumentation on the one hand, and
displaying a knack for great hooks on the other. There’s a kinship between The
Stepkids’ outsider take on pop and Hot Chip’s eclectic approach to dance music,
or the complex but catchy sound of Steely Dan.
Over the
last couple of decades the individual members of The Stepkids have honed their
skills touring with some of the biggest names in pop music, from Alicia Keys,
50 Cent and Lauryn Hill to Kimbra, Mayer Hawthorne and The Horrors. In 2009
they formed a band to the release their own music, and the result is a gleeful
blend of psychedelia, soul, classic jazz, R&B, funk, 70s rock and countless
other genres and styles. Now on their second album for Stones Throw,
Troubadour, they consolidate those influences with their experience as touring
musicians into a singular musical statement.
Troubadour
may be autobiographical in theme, but it also shows off The Stepkids’ musical
chops and their seemingly effortless ability to bridge genres and styles.
‘Moving Pictures’ flips a jazz standard into a soulful R&B-tinged song
propelled by a grooving bassline, ‘Symmetry’ is a minimal, yearning ballad lifted
by The Stepkids’ effortless harmonies, and ‘Sweet Salvation’ draws from psych
and funk while retaining a pop sensibility. The band also recently launched a
series of jazzy covers of songs from the likes of Rihanna, Justin Timberlake
and Daft Punk, all of which can be viewed at youtube.com/thestepkids.
Troubadour
follows the travels and travails of the fictional character of the title as he
grapples with love, life on the road, and the commercial requirements of the
music industry. “The troubadour character represents an extremity of who we
really are,” explains Edinberg. “Though honestly,” adds drummer Tim Walsh,
“It’s a character anyone can find themselves in.” Take the lead single, ‘The
Lottery’, which guitarist Jeff Gitelman describes as about “the gamble of
different sides of life: the gamble of love, the gamble of business, and the
general risk of following your heart.”
They may
be music veterans, but The Stepkids are just getting started. “I really believe
that we still haven’t discovered some of our most exciting stuff,” enthuses
Gitelman. “Everybody is so deep musically, there are whole sides of us we
haven’t really explored yet.”
No comments:
Post a Comment