K Recommends: “The Enchanter” by Budos Band

Instrumentals are not my most favorite thing, or so I said before really listening to jazz and hearing more recent artists like Dirty Three, The Olympians, a lot of post-rock groups and surf rockers, and Budos Band. What used to feel like an occasional novelty on a popular artist’s album — that one quirky instrumental song tucked inside, at the end or as a hidden track on CDs — has evolved and allowed my appreciation for instrumental music to take a turn for the better once I was introduced to bands who were fascinating in instrumental form. No longer resembling Muzak or meditation background, modern artists specializing in instrumentals gave me a huge appreciation of drums, guitars, bass, brass, synthesizers, and so many more noisemakers!

I got into Budos Band when a coworker recommended their first, self-titled album, back in 2005. That lively and spirited debut felt fresh and transcendent; a most fulfilling introduction into instrumental music for me that wasn’t in the indie or post-rock sections. Their sound was indescribable in few words but stretched across lots of genre territory.

Several albums and nearly 15 years later, their 2019 album, “V,” has a darker bent to the music. “The Enchanter” is just one of the tracks that doles out a bit of snarl. The drums get increasingly louder and almost match their signature horn stylings! There is a brooding rock feel with wicked organ and guitar break-outs! They still know how to roll with added funk grooves and danceable shakedowns! But there’s a sly 60s and 70s psychedelic element permeating this song and album a bit more.

Budos Band go deep and moody on guitars here and the horns seem to have grown horns to get to the fiery, growling niches in this song. Every album expands on their unique, core funky sound and just grows bolder in time! Listen to anything they’ve done!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQJ2clHmdiM&feature=emb_title(Song recommendation by K Weber)