Here are a couple releases that don’t fit into any simple style. Interesting, and thought provoking.
Zusha is made up of primarily Shlomo Gaisi/voc, Zach Goldschmiedt/g-voc and Elisha Mlotek/perc/voc. They team up with various strings, horns and percussion and deliver wordless vocals that fall between Hasidic chants and modern indie. You get a mix of middle eastern grooves, but with a dash of American folk as on “East Shtetl” and “Forever.” The pieces are both catchy and accessible, but with the moody voices, you get a sense of the sacred, as on “Pashut” and “Mashiach.” Dreamy but also danceable.
Todd Grubbs has made a name for himself as a hard hitting guitarist, usually delivering instrumentals. This time out, he not only adds bass and keyboards, but he sings on a handful of songs along with Jeff Henry/dr, Alan Tatum/b, Daniel Swartwood/key and a host of various guests on both instruments and vocals. The first four songs are a suite of sorts with a story about the trials of soldiers, with riveting messages on “The Man In The Hat” and “The Other Side Of Forever.” He’s definitely got chops on the axe, but he mixes it with a sense of melody and the vocals by Zak Stevens on “Stay Alive” are riveting, while Emily Velasco on “Venus Is Falling” is a force to be dealt with. A white knuckler.