The Stepkids’ “Shadows on Behalf” sounds like it could have been recorded at several points throughout history — at a ’60s soul festival, on the set of a ’70s porno, or during a pioneering hip-hop sample demonstration from the ‘80s. The track presents a tasteful clashing of stylistic periods. The best classification for it, and many of The Stepkids’ tracks, would be psychedelic-pop. It’s a tough decision, as it’s especially difficult to discard the massive soul and funk influences primarily inherent in the band’s rhythmic aspects, which are mixed high. The adventurous quality of their songs speak most to the funk genre, with varying styles weaving in and out to produce a brilliant and hypnotic feel – like The Avalanches, but with pop-inspired vocal leads and minimized sampling. Likewise, The Stepkids’ music is full of vibrant life and shimmering hooks; trickling keyboard scales, prominently musty bass lines, and quick guitar licks collide with soul-inspired vocal harmonizing and quirky brass sampling. But especially when noting the plushy synths and ghostly piano crescendos just past the mid-point of “La La”, listeners will recognize The Stepkids as a progressive and futuristic beast devoid of fetish nostalgia. Their material plays with greater importance than serving as a relic of past movements.

Considering that the trio includes Alicia Keys’ ex-guitarist (Jeff Gitelman) and others raised on everything from jazz to hip-hop (keyboardist Dan Edinberg and drummer Tim Walsh), it’s not surprising that The Stepkids sound so varied. Their own description even sounds a bit lengthy, as it’s hard to fit their stylistic cues into one sentence without sounding breathless: “The Stepkids’ groove is a fusion of punk and jazz, West African and 1960s folk, neo and classic soul, classic funk and 20th century classical.” It would be easy to disregard the group as an example of stylistic excess, attempting to generate a trendy sound simply by fusing past styles together in hopes of it sounding cohesive eventually. As these tracks and their forthcoming album – out September 27th on Stones Throw – will show, the trio is quite the opposite of that.

“Shadows on Behalf” sounds like a contemporary group emulating the sounds of the Jackie Brown soundtrack, but not without some original appeal. The airy vocals over the thick arrangements are immediately reminiscent of Seattle’s Crystal Skulls, one of the first artists featured on this site. They apply some modern indie-pop magic to safely blend the funk-inspired rhythms with the unconventional vocal approach. One such example is the jubilant chorus, where the group burst out “shadows on behalf of me!” It’s exceptional, fusing the infectious quality of pop music with the thickly reverberating sounds of soul and funk. “La La” is no different in that regard, though its emphasis on soul is more prominent with frequent sampling of Hair-esque ‘70s soul-pop vocals, brass, and sombering strings with a reverbed key vibrato. The two-minute mark introduces sinister lurking strings that could appear in the The Wizard of Oz’s twister scene, kick-starting the track into spontaneous psych-pop territory. And this is where The Stepkids are at their strongest – when spontaneity is at the forefront, and the trio’s love for seemingly every style of music on the planet is expressed fully and with jovial impulsiveness.

RIYL: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Delfonics, Mayer Hawthorne, Crystal Skulls, HEADPHONES, The Joggers, David Bazan, Kinetic Stereokids, Via Audio, The Dramatics, Blue Magic, Two Door Cinema Club

The Stepkids – Shadows on Behalf

The Stepkids – La La

The Stepkids – Legend in My Own Mind

Stones Throw Records / MySpace / BUY

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Whether referring to fusions or collaborations, co-creations are often best digested with familiarity of the two or more components at hand. For instance, the food grapple looks like an apple, but its skin tastes like a grape and the insides taste like an apple. Perfectly enjoyable, but those attempting to eat it without prior familiarity of either fruit will be restrained by first-time observation as opposed to objectively finding the mixture’s success and multiple likenesses with contextually supported formulations. Similarly, if I had not had a taste of Laura Burhenn’s work as a solo artist and with Georgie James, I feel my perception of her new project would be different. Her songwriting takes a giant leap forward on The Mynabirds‘ debut, aided by another familiar face in Richard Swift. His most recent album, The Atlantic Ocean, was #16 on Obscure Sound’s ‘Best Albums of 2009‘ feature, so Swift’s collaboration is nothing to disregard. Familiarity with the work of Burhenn and Swift prior to listening to The Mynabirds is not essential for its enjoyment, but it certainly contributes to a spontaneous feel that appears reminiscent of old friends getting together and having a grand old time. With the way The Mynabirds’ debut was recorded, this reaction is not surprising.

Burhenn and Swift spent this previous summer in the hills of Oregon, recording what would be The Mynabirds’ debut, What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood. Their chemistry was fairly evident from the get-go, and their nightly ritual of whiskey and dancing didn’t hurt. As the polished production and melodic sounds show though, the whiskey was often saved for the post-recording party. Their nighttime listening playlist included the likes of James Brown, Dandy Livingstone, and other staples of ’60s and ’70s in areas of R&B and folk. Coincidentally, the origins of The Mynabirds’ name relates to such a playlist, as they are actually named after the ambiguous ’60s R&B group with the same name. The first incarnation, named ‘The Mynah Birds’ instead, was based out of Ontario and even included Neil Young, Rick James, and Bruce Palmer (Buffalo Springfield) at various points in time. Their work is hard to find, but is certainly recommended. The Mynabirds of today would agree.

Likely single “Numbers Don’t Lie” initially treads in the warmth of an echoey organ, the mood resembling Beach House before Burhenn’s emotive voice enters alongside a series of folky acoustic guitars and accompanying keys. The instrumental style on this track and many others are in this vein, often led by an acoustic strum or slick keyboard melody that finds clever accentuation through orchestral flourishes or in Burhenn’s exceptional range. In the background of “Numbers Don’t Lie”, you can hear Burhenn’s laughter as the instrumentation escalates; it is a reminder of how unforced and charismatic these recordings are, making the context of Burhenn and Swift writing songs and then sharing a bottle of whiskey quite relevant. These two clearly were not sitting in a room and biting their fingernails because of deadlines or lack of chemistry. They were writing music together selflessly, having fun with it, and continuing the fun once recording was over. They combined on instrumental portions gradually, sometimes separately and sometimes together. However they did it, Burhenn and Swift have certainly produced something they should be proud of.

Along with members of Bright Eyes and These United States, Richard Swift’s essential contributions to this album primarily involved instrumentation. There is a resemblance to his material as a result, particularly how the broodingly softened piano of “Give It Time” bears likeness to an anticipatory gem like “Already Gone” (one of the best efforts on Swift’s The Atlantic Ocean). There is also an old-fashioned feel, particularly that of someone playing piano with a top-hat in a lounge circa 1950. The reason for this is the lack of superfluous additives on the recordings, which rely on guitars, keys, and Burhenn’s alternation between caressing whispers and electrifying howls. Like she did with Georgie James, I cannot stress how skilled Burhenn is at complementing melodic instrumentation. You could probably give her a continuous loop of a five-second sample and she could turn it into something structurally interesting. This is shown on a track like “Ways of Looking”, where she turns a simple guitar riff and percussive click once every measure into a with her suave and smoky delivery. Her complete awareness of impending hooks makes moments like these abundant throughout What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood, which is one of the best things both Burhenn and Swift have released.

Stream the entire album for free here.

You can also download the March 2010 Saddle Creek Sampler, including “Numbers Don’t Lie”, for free here.

RIYL: Richard Swift, Georgie James, Miss Li, Sarah Jaffe, Kisses, White Hinterland, Marit Bergman, Amanda Jenssen, Säkert!, Timo Räisänen, Lou Barlow, Pajo, Damien Jurado, David Bazan, Benjy Ferree, Little Wings, The Love Language

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The Mynabirds – Numbers Don’t Lie

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The Mynabirds – Let the Record Go

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The Mynabirds – Give It Time

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