Rx Bandits | Gemini, Her MajestyEmpty Bottle Evenings

Aug242014August 24, 2014August 27, 20141 Commentby Bake

Rx Bandits | Gemini, Her Majesty

Posted in Music

Summer is almost over so before we’re all forced into pretending we like Pumpkin flavored everything, I decided to do some listening to one of my favorite summer bands, the Rx Bandits. I think of them at this time of year partly due to personal experiences (seeing them live multiple times in the summer, listening to them during a week spent on a beach in Puerto Rico, etc) but there is also something about their sound that works better during the warm weather. The band started as more of a ska band but over time developed a more experimental rock/metal/hippie jam band on steroids sound. For a few years many of us thought of them as the Mars Volta of ska, but by the time they released their last album in 2009 (Mandala) they didn’t even have a horn section so I’m not sure the ska label applied anymore, even if it once kinda-sorta did. Although different, each new disc was clearly an Rx Bandit album: overtly political lyrics, Matt Embree’s soulful voice, and some experimentation whether it be adding keyboards, singing in Spanish, or messing with unconventional time signatures. Their latest offering Gemini, Her Majesty in the next step in their musical journey, and it’s pretty friggin’ awesome.

After taking a break for a few years to work on side projects the Rx Bandits come back from hiatus with bang. Kinda. It’s still intense, but it does have a softer edge to it. It’s actually quite nice. Unfortunately there is not even a hint of a horn section, but more melodic choruses and a toning down of the prog-ness helps Gemini, Her Majesty in the pleasant summertime listening category. There are no slow, sultry tracks like “White Lies” or “Apparition” to help with the humidity, but songs like “Stargazer” and “Meow! Meow! Space Tiger” are fun to take in when driving in the car. They don’t need a good set of headphones and a smug music critic ear to appreciate like some of the songs from Mandala. And while their furious punk songs of protest from The Resignation (“Sell You Beautiful, “Newstand Rock”) still hold some value, it’s sometimes refreshing to not have to think about America’s obsession with physical attractiveness and penchant for senseless wars. I don’t think their sense of societal awareness is gone, just more subtle. Impressively subtle for a band that once wrote on The Resignation‘s “Overcome”: “We’ve had enough of these politicians’ wars, all we need right now is love”.

Gemini, Her Majesty is pleasantly atmospheric. It doesn’t require an accomplishing light show to be enjoyable but it probably doesn’t sound like anything else that you own. This particular album from the Bandits is also actually pretty catchy. It won’t end up on the radio anytime soon or anything like that, but it doesn’t require you stealing drugs to appreciate it either (despite what the name of the band implies). Plus, how could you not enjoy an album that includes a song named “Penguin Marlon Brando”. Please, give it a shot. Or try one of their other six albums depending on your mood. But get to this one quick before the pumpkin crowd tries to tempt you with their spices and their Shipyard. It’s not Labor Day yet, fuckers.