There isn’t much confusion when you hear that Indubious song in your (or your friend’s) playlist. Indubious, an Oregon-based group has an extremely unique sound that is simply unrivaled by any other in the genre. The combination of the slap bass of Spencer Burton and the lyrics from either himself or his brother, bandmate and founder Evan Burton borders on many other genres, which make this band truly unique and modernistic to say the least . It’s surprisingly hard to describe their sound. I had someone unfamiliar with their music ask me, “What do they sound like?”, not too long ago, and was surprised at what I couldn’t come up with. “Uuuuuh… they’re a funky-electro-reggae-roots-dancehall-rock band”, I responded after a minute searching for the right words to describe them.
As they say, “Good things come to those who wait”
The new album titled Wake the Lion is a continuation of this successful formula of theirs, adding subtle touches that are significant in both texture and scope. While Wake the Lion retains it’s towering ambitions of Cosmic Seed and Fresh Leaves, the omnipresent synth, reverb effects, and basslines unite the album’s mood and tone more so than the band’s previous albums. Wake the Lion seems to push the boundaries a bit more than previous releases, experimenting with a more electronic sound and even dabbling in a bit of dubstep, which gets the crowd going every single time. Without even batting an eye, the tracks on this album vary and change from a very fast paced, energetic tone, to a mellow, spiritual and psychedelic footprint. The shift is significant; you will unquestionably notice it, but it all seems to positively come together as a great experience.
As usual with a new studio album release, some tracks do stand out more than others:
“Seventh Generation” The track has been extremely positively perceived around Twitter and Facebook, essentially “melting the faces” off it’s viewers (which is a good thing if you didn’t know) with both the sound as well as the official video which you can see below. The staple Indubious combination of reggae, dancehall, and dubstep making this track exceedingly powerful and make it very susceptible to that ‘replay’ button.
“Jammy” What time is it? It’s time for “Jammy”!! The first release off of Indubious’ third studio album, this track offers a electrifying dancehall inspired experience from the start to finish.
Wake the Lion is a fluid collection of pulsating, energetic, spiritual, menacingly anesthetized reggae that sometimes sounds like reggae, sometimes like dancehall, sometimes like funk, but that is the absolute essence of Indubious. That is their formula, and they’re sticking with it. The four year gap between Cosmic Seed and Wake the Lion make this album great addition and well worth the wait. As they say, “Good things come to those who wait”.
Listen to Wake the Lion
Released September 24, 2013 • Righteous Sound Productions
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Disclaimer: All views presented in this album review are those of the reviewer and not necessarily those of Top Shelf Music.
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