More than three years after the release of Sex, Drugs and Comic Books, funky prog-hop fusion quintet Rise of Saturn has completed a follow-up EP, Enceladus Transmissions, and it sounds pretty damn fine from the few tracks I previewed. “Nah Son Part Deux” opens with a sharp marching drumbeat before the heavy bumpin’ bass grooves kick in followed by the brawny soulful howls of vocalist/emcee Bradley Gillespie Gilmore relating a story of a man’s three epic fails with women, the instrumentals gaining momentum and propelling forward with grinding and wah wah-funky guitar riffs and a bombast of brass that brings it all to an explosive close. [Audio below.] “Marionette” has a more earnest, urgent tone, light reggae guitar flavors, rocking and driving tempos, and yearning vocal trade-offs between Gilmore and bassist Ivan Pena, the refrain, “I need you by my side but I need you to free me / from your righteous contradictions / I need you to free me, free me from your lies” implying a relationship with a none-too-healthy balance of power and deceit.
Not only does this Saturday night’s CD release party celebrate the completion of Enceladus Transmissions, but it’s also the last show that Rise of Saturn will play in 2014. Warm-up from vibrant synth-pop outfit Best Day Ever.
Details:Rise of Saturn CD Release Party with Best Day Ever, Sat., Nov. 29, 8 p.m., Dunedin Brewery, Dunedin, free admission.