The first three Night Beats albums – Self-Titled (2011), Sonic Bloom (2013) and Who Sold My Generation (2016) – lived up to the band’s name in terms of sound; Myth Of A Man (2018) was more suitable for morning coffee, and Outlaw R&B (2021) for brightly colored afternoons. So it feels logical that the new Rajan LP takes us to sultry summer evenings. Texas-born, LA-based artist Danny Lee Blackwell (actually: Danny Rajan Billingsley) wrote, constructed and perfected eleven cinematic outlaw psych tracks about the pursuit of freedom that was instilled in him by his mother. It led to a record that is simultaneously the most coherent and versatile to date, drawing influences as diverse as blues, funk, soul, dub, psychedelic pop and rock, Spaghetti Western soundtracks and traditional Eastern music (the garage rock of the early days has faded into the background). It’s well thought out and wonderfully orchestrated, mysterious and hypnotic, atmospheric and exotic, rich and warm. Bring on those sultry summer evenings.
Rajan is out now digitally and on vinyl LP through Fuzz Club Records and Suicide Squeeze.
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