SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: ANTIBALAS – HOURGLASS

ANTIBALAS
HOURGLASS
DAPTONE RECORDS

For their seventh full-length album, Antibalas returns to its instrumental roots. Hourglass sees the band indulging in jazz, soul, and R&B-infused Latin music across six tracks.

“Solace” opens to the gradual crescendo of percussion, followed by the warm tone of a synth soloing as the melodic and harmonic voice, before ushering in an array of lush horns. Despite its organic and slow build, “Solace” serves as an excellent opener to Hourglass, setting the tone for the album as a chorus of horns pulls the listener in. Similarly, “Lo Life” is driven by exotic percussion, aided this time by a jangly riff and a keyboard that blurs the lines of the shifting harmonic structure with the liberal use of blue notes. “Lo Life” is a stunning modern adaptation of traditional Afrobeat.

The style of Antibalas is highly distinctive as the band ebbs and flows between a range of global influences. However, the album is further elevated by a sound that is signature to Daptone Records. Hourglass, as a result, feels like Latin and Afrobeat spoken through a Brooklyn accent. This, in itself, is incredibly unique, as we have now reached a point where Afrobeat (a genre that was the Nigerian interpretation of American jazz), R&B, and funk are now shifting due to cultural acclaim in a global setting. In addition to the opening tracks, this is perhaps best heard on “La Ceiba” and “Oasis.”

Hourglass is a stunning collection of music that pulls inspiration from a wide range of sources. Most importantly, the instrumental approach to the album allows the band to enrich their songwriting without the aid of lyrics, while also allowing them to dabble in improvised passages. The musicianship throughout the record is remarkable. Antibalas proves to be a cut above its contemporaries, as well as an exciting element of the Daptone roster, with Hourglass.

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