Part Basement Tapes and Paul Simon, and part a globetrotting foray into progressive sounds, Shabang is some of the most exploratory music of McMicken’s career. There are elements of jazz, dub reggae, country, and bossa nova throughout these 13 tracks, each exuding the excitement of being in a room with several other curious musicians. Opener “What About Now” originally started as a folk-rock dirge but when McMicken decided to add some bounce to the rhythm, the whole thing opened up. Even songs that dig deep into personal conflict like “Reconcile” radiate with a joy that’s tangible and rocking.
https://www.anti.com/artists/scott-mcmicken/
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Arc Iris are a wildly adventurous, genre-blurring band founded in Massachusetts by frontwoman, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jocie Adams, formerly of the Low Anthem. Adams, a formally trained classical composer (and former NASA researcher), formed the group as a deliberately adventurous ensemble whose music is informed by everything from sophisticated '70s pop to folk, country, cabaret, jazz, classical music, and contemporary sources such as Grizzly Bear.
http://www.arcirismusic.com