Always on the hunt for new music I recently stumbled across Night Beats, the psychedelic brainchild of Texas-born, LA-based artist Danny Lee Blackwell. He’s just released his sixth studio album entitled Rajan and it immediately caught my ear. Some of this album’s tracks sound like they come right out of a Sergio Leone movie. I was keen to find out what the concept behind Rajan was. Here’s what the man himself had to say
“This isn’t a concept album, because every album has a concept. That term never made sense to me. But if it’s about one thing, it’s about this pursuit of freedom that was instilled in me by my mother. In the arts, I’m very lucky in that I have 100% control over what I want to say, and how I do it. That means some songs toy with Anatolian funk and Western-tinged R&B.”
“Other songs, like “Nightmare” mess around with 70s Brazilian psychedelia. There are also elements of Chicano soul, rock steady love songs, Lee “Scratch” Perry-inspired dub; essentially, in the world of Night Beats, nothing is off limits. Rajan is just one of six examples of me doing exactly what I want, and not caring about whether it’s checked out or not. I’m a journeyperson. I want to make things for the sake of making them.”
This sounds like the kind of album I’m going love. Let’s drop the needle and dive in.
We open on the exotic riffing of ‘Hot Ghee’. A fusion of funk driven sounds, from that smooth guitar line to the cool as a cucumber vocal delivery. This is accomplished song writing and a guitar riff the mighty Khruangbin would kill for. Killing it straight out the gate like this sets the scene for this album perfectly.
Next up is the chilled out ‘Blue’. Like floating down a sun dappled river enjoying the cool breeze. This is such an evocative track. The sixties vibes are strong here from the xylophone to the shuffling drums it feels like a track out of time yet perfectly at home in the context of this album.
That continues into ‘Nightmare’, a 70’s psychedelic odyssey. The guitars are acid drenched and playing over the tightest R&B rhythm section. The melody verges on the epic on a number of occasions and has thrilled me each time I listen to it.
‘Motion Picture’ has undoubted influence to Janis Joplin in its chorus melody but there is also a Small Faces vibe in places too. This magpie approach pays dividends as this song oozes cool and gives an insight into Blackwell’s record collection.
That ever-present coolness continues in the gentle sway of ‘Anxious Mind’. It’s tight groove, keeping it together, always moving forward right up until those abrupt final notes. Blackwells voice is smooth as silk and in this song in particular he gets to fill the spaces with his silkiest tones.
The promise shown in all previous songs is suddenly brought into sharp focus on the wonderful ‘Thank You’. Rajan has a dedication on the back of the sleeve, simply reading “For my Mother”. ‘Thank You’ overtly states that against the most epic funk driven groove. Everything is amped up to the max. Drums are pulling out the big licks, guitars channel Hendrix and the backing vocals are utterly cinematic. This is next level writing and performing.
A guest joins Blackwell in the shape of Ambrose Kenny Smith from King Gizz. He picks up moothie or harmonica duties as well as the off kilter vocal delivery. This is another example of the Night Beats musical melting pot. Fluttering flutes, blues harp and chiming piano married with a hip hop beat and psyche guitars. On paper this shouldn’t make sense but my god it does. When we are told to “Fall asleep to the boogie dream” you know you have to.
‘Dusty Jungle’ is a desert lullaby. Mellotron forms the magic carpet we ride in on as we slowly soar over the twilight dunes. This is escapism at its finest, music transporting the listener far away. The ability that Blackwell has to use music as his canvas to create new vistas for us to visit is nothing short of genius.
That desert vibe continues in the spaghetti western evoking ‘Cautionary Tale’. The guitar sounding positively evil, like the cowboy in the black hat. However, in this song there ain’t no white hats. It could be his Texas roots that he’s channelling to achieve this sound. Whatever it is, it’s just brilliant.
Not to be confused with the Dolly Parton classic it’s ‘9 to 5’ next. This is a lysergic take on a 50’s love song. The simple guitar and piano intro soon melt into a sci-fi inspired soundscape. Trippy overlapping vocal harmonies always just out of sync, but only just, are pure ear candy. This is the sound of a band having fun and nailing it!
The album closes out on the three-bar blues riffing of ‘Morocco Blues’. The song is swathed in swirling sitar which holds front of stage with the stoned vocals. The rest of the band is buried in the mix making this a completely new take on this type of song. Whilst Dylan and The Stones both had their takes, Night Beats really amps up the confusion and giddiness. It just makes you want to flip the record and play it all again.
In Rajan Night Beats have created a transportive listening experience that sends the listener to far off exotic climes in their imaginations. From deserts to crowded markets and cool rivers this album has it all. It’s a woozy wander through the mind of an incredibly creative musician. A musician who has taken his music and created worlds within worlds in the grooves of a record. For the run time of this album, you are happy to surrender yourself to his guiding hand and just lose yourself. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be lost awhile. Care to join me?
Rajan is out now on Fuzz Club and Suicide Squeeze. There’s a fair few vinyl variants to pick from like the green vinyl version on Night Beats Bandcamp.
You can follow Night Beats on social media here…
Photo Credits
- Hamilton Boyce
- Daniel Cavazos
- Chris Keller
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