Artist: Mangoseed
Album: Basquiat
Genre: Funk, Rock, Reggae

London’s Mangoseed recently released Basquiat, their newest full-length LP, influenced of course by the late New York City-based artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. When we recently spoke with the band, we asked them how Basquiat influenced the end result of this record. Lead vocalist, Nicholai La Barrie, responded:

“I think we make songs like he made paintings. He used whatever he wanted to, to say how he felt in that moment and he didn’t care what people would think of the work, and it was also this marriage of what was happening on the streets and what was happening in the banks and in the government and wider society. We use all of those things to make songs–we use the old stuff that we really loved and new stuff as well in terms of trying out ideas and trying to make a new sound.”

Basquiat kicks off with “Lioness,” which begins as ferociously as it should with such a title. Reminiscent of Sublime’s more angsty moments, Mangoseed set the tone with punk-like, reggae-infused, rock that you simply can’t help but groove to. This vibe is few and far between on the 15-track Basquiat though as, for the most part, the album features much more chill, laid-back dub vibes. Tracks like “Standing On High” and “Thief Head” provide perfectly placed spikes of energy though in the album’s running order with lots of guitar and in-your-face vocal attacks. “This Life” also adds a nice variation with a quick hip-hop pace that takes a turn for a smooth, classic rock-like chorus that ultimately makes for one of the album’s best offerings.

Throughout the effort, there are brief live intermissions that sound very raw, almost as if they were recorded in a small room on a cell phone. They’re almost jarring at first as they disrupt the album’s flow in a way (two are even titled “Bali Men Interrupted” and “Interruption”) but on repeat listens I found that they lend themselves nicely to the abstract variation and add an honest, human touch to Basquiat.

I think my favorite moment in the album was an unexpected one. “The Soul Bird” is a dreamy, beat-heavy interlude that I found myself completely hypnotized by. It lasts but only a minute and leaves me wanting many more to vibe to. I’d love for an extended version of this to be a thing.

Overall, Basquiat is a well-produced romp through dub, rock, funk, and the combination of these ideas crossing paths. Mangoseed put every bit of passion into their creations and it shows both in the vocal delivery and the way the instrumentation commands that you move along with it. The album may not have a seamless flow from start to finish but if you’ve ever seen a painting by Jean-Michel, then you’ll know that they took his influence to heart when writing and recording Basquiat.

SCORE: 8/10
Review written by Brian Lion — (Follow him on Twitter)

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Brian Leak

Editor-In-Chief. King of forgetting drinks in the freezer. Pop culture pack rat. X-Phile. LOST apologist.

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