Brought to you by the letter “T”
About the only two things that Tropidelic and Tafra have in common are the first letter of their names and the fact that I’ve had their records in my hands waiting for a review for far too long. Actually, one other thing that these two acts share – A Free Man digs them.
A reggae band from the shores of Lake Erie is, I daresay, a questionable prospect. So when I sat down to listen to the Kent, Ohio quintet Tropidelic, I was prepared to take their debut EP with a grain of salt. I love being surprised.
It’s not reggae, more of a dancey ska/punk hybrid with a heavy dose of Sublime. But it’s well crafted and well played music and it’s strangely addictive. I think it was the late 20th century history in the form of a ska flavored rap that is “War City” that sold me on Tropidelic.”Aquafire” is just a wonderful party track. Tropidelic isn’tbreaking new ground, but nobody is really, but they’re good at what they do and I really enjoyed the EP. A Free Man’s rating – 4/5 – go and get “Tree City Exodus” from the band for a fiver.
Tafra is an entirely different kettle of fish. I got into this Swedish/Croatian Londoner during my trip to Sweden earlier this year but didn’t feature him at that point. The more I listen to his debut LP, “Why Even Bother” (Series Two), the more I am convinced that Niklas Tafra is a budding genius. He’s in the Jamie T./Jim Noir making-music-in-the-bedroom-with-a-shitty-synthesizer camp, but Tafra’s lyrics and monotone delivery set him a little bit apart. This is slacker music that makes ”Loser” era Beck look like an Harvard MBA student. He’s deliciously dry and charming in his apparent disdain for pop musical conventions. If you’re looking for something different, give Tafra a try. 4/5.
“Why Even Bother” is available for $13 (US) from Series Two.
MP3: Tafra – “Tired of London”
MP3: Tafra – “Cheesy Epic View”
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where do you find all this? do you trawl itunes or newmusic websites at 4am? or is ure new job a secret radio producer and you get sent loads music? or are you a musical whore in more way than one like we always expected?
overandooooot
oh dear, kent, ohio. brings back many a fond (and perhaps partly blacked-out) memory from many years ago. it used to be quite the party town, so no wonder these guys make such fun music!
Hey I’m Chevontez, guitarist for Tropideilc. Thanks for the positive review. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen to the music and for your kind words!