A great new-age funky pseudo jam band that really knows how to groove, Ripe is another one of my favorite first listens this year that I totally forgot about until a friend of mine recommended this album to me. I’ve listened to their EP, Hey Hello (2015), and was really impressed. I figured it’s high time for me to check out their only full length album they’ve released to date.
“Little Lighter” starts out some really funky bass that gets me into the track right away. Wow, I love the guitars and the soundscape that the band is making. It’s got almost a neo-funk-soul to the whole thing. I’m really getting down to this one. I’m kind of reminded of Vulpeck a bit, another great funky band. The vocals have a great force behind them, and the staccato’d guitar playing really is awesome. They sort of sound like they’re going through some sort of envelope filter, but that might be the keys. I think the band has 7 members, so it could be a number of different instruments.
The transition to the next track, “Flipside”, is awesome – it just drops right it. The percussion, though somewhat scantly played, is quite strong in what it provides to the song. I really dig the tone of the drums, pretty warm in my opinion. That bass is really awesome, slowly churning the song. I’m pretty amazed by this album already.
“Follow Through” picks right up where the previous track left off, with an incredibly smooth transition, and the song feels like the start to a journey of sorts. The horns really add a great flare to the whole thing. I really dig the attitude in this song, something that feels like the intangible quality of music that I often gravitate towards. The little interplay between the guitars is infectious. The culmination of the song is an absolutely sick jam. The synth brings an almost dream-like element to the track.
“Downward” really changes up the vibe with some acoustic guitar. The percussion keeps the train rolling along though, picking up more instrumentation as the tune rolls along. The singer has a really great voice honestly. This track is a pretty epic soul funk tune. I’m finding myself incapable of writing of it at all, as I’m just grooving along with the band.
“Stanky” jumps right into the song with a pretty smooth transition again, and its absolutely dirt nasty in terms of funkiness – absolutely awesome. Wah pedals, envelope filters, some organ, and bass galore in this awesome funky jam song. Oh wow, I don’t have many words other than you should check out the horn solo in this one, please. The lyrics reference the playing of the instruments, reminiscent of some psychedelic jam bands in a way (“Doin’ That Rag” by the Grateful Dead on Aoxomoxoa (1969) comes to mind). Wow that guitar solo really ties the song together extremely well.
“Passerby” is a bit of a slower-paced song at first, but it really adds some range to the album in that sense. The guitars are simply a joy to listen to in this one. The percussion solo really has a great groove to it – it doesn’t really have that quantized feel to it that much modern music does. Dang, the vibe changes up again to something almost dream-inducing. Awesome tune.
I’m in shock that half the tracks are already finished playing. “Young Tom Rose” has a neat feel to it, with very barebones playing at first with additional instruments slowly added. The way these songs swell is so impressive to me. This song almost has a southern funk feel to it. The song really epically gathers steam and the way the instruments play off each other is so inspiring. Dang, the break in the song really adds to the storytelling feel of the song, and only adds to the momentum, as the band plays with the momentum they already built up with the listener on the edge of their seat waiting for more. The force behind the song is so soulful at this point. Definitely a great listen.
“Ladies Night” sounds a bit more intimate, with both the vocals and instrumentation, but the vocals seemingly in particular. I love that envelope filter on the guitar, great funk feel. This listening experience has flown by so far – each song sounds so unique with such great feel. Oh wow, that guitar break is absolutely slick. Add in the horns on top of it, throw in some of that drum plus that great funk bass, and you’ve got a heck of a funk song. That synth really sounds awesome, I can’t tell if it’s just blending in extremely well or if the horns themselves are being passed through some sort of wah filter.
“Beta Male” has the most modern rock feel of all the tunes so far, but definitely a great funk inflection to the whole thing. The song has a great momentum to it all. I honestly just want to get my guitar and jam along with this one. They play so tight, it’s absolutely infectious to hear. When the tune breaks on through, there’s no stopping that momentum. Dang, that break just lets the instruments play a little looser with some even stronger force, and it’s super awesome. These compositions are truly awesome. Wow, that electric guitar is awesome.
“Yesterday’s Clothes” starts out with a great modern soul feel. This tune reminds me of Proxima Parada a bit. That modern soul feel of the song has a funky backdrop of sorts. Oh dang, that electric guitar is so tasty. The album feels like it’s starting to wrap up a bit with the outro of this song.
The last statement I made may have been false. “Pedro” starts out with a rippin’ hot jam. The jam fades to the first verse for some tension to build, and absolutely lets loose when that chorus hits. The songs always change up the feel in some unexpected way that makes the jams the band members are playing even spicier.
“Ex-Life” starts out super strange with the effects, but I’m absolutely hooked. This one has a bit of a slower funk feel to it. That guitar is grooving so well with the drums and bass. That sax (?) mini-solo was tasty as all get out. This song jams in a very conclusive way, letting loose all that tight tension built up throughout the album. The song and album both end of a very dreamy note, and quite fitting for the way the entire album played.
This one is awesome. It was 54 minutes, but it felt like hardly any time passed at all. This one is extremely fun to listen to, and well worth the listen in my opinion.
-A