antiMusic.com: Mangoseed

Mangoseed - Basquiat

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Mangoseed is a four member funk-rock-reggae band from London. Led by vocalist Nicholai La Barrie, who originally formed the act with guitarist Karlos Coleman, has titled its album Basquiat.

The band has said the "album is inspired by the work and spirit of Jean- Michel Basquiat." Basquiat was an influential New York artist that started in an informal graffiti group, and graduated to exhibiting Neo-expressionist and Primitivist paintings at galleries and museums before overdosing on heroin at the tender age of 27 in 1988.

This group is all over the map, stylistically. "Lioness," for instance includes a touch of reggae in its vocal, although its musical track is hard rock along the lines of Rage Against The Machine. Nevertheless, this act knows its way around reggae, as "Brix-tone" sways with a reggae dub tone. However, the short "I Shoot My Friends" has a blues vibe underpinning, while there is some funky, Jimi Hendrix-esque guitar work coloring "Devil in the Road."

Basquiat is the kind of album any lover of eclectic public radio would enjoy. The only rule, when it comes to musical style, is that there are no rules.

Mangoseed - Basquiat
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