Heavy Rotation

Two groups have hit a resonant frequency in me and are in heavy rotation on the iPod this fall. The first is Four80East. Their 2007 release En Route is shameless ear candy, pure and simple. This is groovy, syrupy, down tempo/acid jazz for a new century, with plenty of beats, funky bass and Fender Rhodes. If you put Herb Alpert, Fourplay and St. Germain in a particle collider and smashed them all together at light speed, Four80East might come shooting out. Nothing here would have sounded out of place about ten years ago. There is meat on the bone, but very lean and in healthy portions. The goal here is the overall sound, and the production is top notch. “Been Too Long” and “Don’t Look Back” are especially groovy, and “Waterline” is sublime, with a three/two tension that I love. Only the vocals on “Closer” eclipse my schmalz tolerance and make the track unenjoyable for me.

The second group is Prefab Sprout. They represent all the best of late 80’s pop music – great melodies, lots of synthesizers, shimmery background vocals, crisp rhythm guitar, and a real live person playing drums. Prefab Sprout were certainly underappreciated in their time. I hadn’t heard of them at all until I stumbled across them by way of Ivy, who covered their song “Cruel” a couple years back. Playing Prefab Sprout’s Greatest Hits for the first time was like opening a time capsule. I was hooked on “Sound of Crying” and “All the World Loves Lovers” before I learned of Thomas Dolby’s involvement in the band. Then their appeal made even more sense – the arrangements and the gorgeous, permeating melancholy. Something about their sound is particularly appropriate for this time of year.