the Gadjits - "Yes I Are"
VMS Records
This little 6 song EP from Kansas City band the Gadjits may have fans
who haven't heard them in a while shaking their heads in disbelief. The
ska-punk sounds of "Gangster Girl" that were slowly shed over the
course of their two albums for Hell Cat Records are now officially out
of the picture. The sound of the Gadjits is now more of an
(International) Noise Conspiracy type sound, somewhat like Lawrence
band the Hefners. It's danceable soul, with a distinct mod flavor.
The whole Yes I Are EP has
some of the most excellent song-to-song
flow I've heard in ages. It starts off with the very relaxed
reggae-soul-mod tune "Act Like You Remember" and thn proceeds to move
to the way more upbeat "All the Girls." The next three songs are very
low-key, calm total soul numbers, with more of a focus on the keyboards
of Hilary Allen than guitar riffs and drumbeats.
This isn't to say that the band isn't cohesive. The addition of Mike
Alexander on second guitar has done a lot to fill out the Gadjits'
sound. Hilary Allen's keys are beautiful, and Zach and Adam's rhythm
section hold everything down with a kicking backbeat.
However, it's on the hip-wriggling closer "All the Way" that the whole
band gets together and serves up a song that simultaneously brings to
mind the rock-blues of AC/DC's "Riff Raff" and the scorching soul of
Otis Redding's "Try A Little Tenderness." One can't help but heed the
call of "c'mon, c'mon" and bop around the living room to this tune.
The whole EP is available from VMS Records and the Gadjits themselves.
Do Brandon, Adam, Zach, Hilary, and Mike a favor and pick this one up.