The Hungarian torchbearers of the ongoing vintage rock revival released their third album, “The All Right Nows”, in November. Produced by their keyboardist, István Beke (aka Bex), the music is equally inspired by the Beatles, legendary Hungarian bands of the ’60s (Metró, Locomotiv GT, or Illés), and modern rock bands like Black Lips or Alabama Shakes. On their first two albums, the band proved that they are capable of writing three-to-four-minute-long groovy party-rock songs, but with “The All Right Nows”, they’ve started experimenting with their sound. The result is a collection of psychedelically sexy midtempo jams, which shows their ability to mature with their audience and to incorporate new elements into their world. If you are a fan of blues rock, Hammond organs, or the early albums of the Black Keys, this is your music.
If you ask the members of Run Over Dogs about their inspirations, they’ll name only one band: Queens Of The Stone Age. Their second album, “Cold Sweat Of Lust”, surely has that Josh Homme-ish robot rock vibe, like speeding through a desert in a Mustang while high on weed and whiskey. Sexy, noisy, and dangerous, like gambling with the devil. Vocalist Szabolcs Czegledi said in an interview that when they were working on the songs, they locked themselves up in the studio of a small Hungarian town and did nothing but jamming, drinking, smoking, and holding barbecue parties. Songs like “Roll Down Your Cheeks” or “My Brain Dressed In A Parachute” will melt the snow even during White Christmas. Lemmy used to say “we are Motörhead, we play rock ’n’ roll” – and they are Run Over Dogs, they play desert rock ’n’ roll.
Founded by Mátyás Premecz in 2008, Kéknyúl Hammond Band (nowdays, it’s only Kéknyúl) is the leading soulfunk-jazz-blues band in Hungary. With their third album, “Crowded Universe”, they’ve reached a new creative peak. While the first album was showcasing their Hammond-playing skills and the endless possibilities of the instrument, later vocalist Andrew Hefler and a brass orchestra joined them, after which the band moved towards a poppier, funkier direction. And now, we have “Crowded Universe”, an album with nine catchy, dynamic, and poppy neo/retro soul songs – it isn’t an overstatement to call it the band’s strongest album to date. Sharon Jones And the Dap-Kings, Aloe Blacc, Robert Cray? If these names ring a bell, this is the release you must hear.
The duo of jazz vocalist Juli Fábián and producer/DJ Zoltán Kovács Palásti (aka Zoohacker) worked on their debut album for four years. The two founders came from different musical backgrounds: Juli sang in outstanding Hungarian bands like Erik Sumo Band, Jazzjet, Barabás Lőrinc Eklektric, and Just In Time, before starting her own band, Fábián Juli Jazz Riff – which was nominated for some of the most important Hungarian music awards. Multi-instrumentalist Zoohacker entered the lounge scene with a blast: his band, the Lushlife Project, signed to Mole Listening Pearls, and they were featured on compilations like Buddha Bar. Their collaborative project is basically a summarization of what they like in music: electro-acoustic pop songs with flavors of jazz and soul. Sounds like a common thing, but few can write such earworms as the two of them can.
Thy Catafalque, a Hungarian one-man band (Tamás Kátai, formerly of Gire) based in Scotland, play a form of experimental and progressive metal that exists on the outer fringes of extreme metal. Bristling with radical guitar leads, sharp and heavily distorted foundational riffs, hyperactive drum machines, keyboards, and laser-noise accents, Thy Catafalque’s new album “Sgúrr” is one of the most outstanding progressive blackened doom releases of the year. It’s unlike anything you could hear this year, so varied and unusual that even die-hard fanatics of the Seasons Of Mist label (which released the latest albums of Tamás’s project) will have a hard time listening to it. But believe us, it’s worth your time.
Fran Palermo is Hungary’s one and only vagabond rock ’n’ roll band, with no less than nine members bringing a unique sun-soaked vibe to the local music scene. With inspirations ranging from Primal Scream to Allah-Las, and from tropical rock to desert blues, the band released its self-titled debut album this year, and reclaimed back position as one of the best concert bands in Hungary. Sometimes it feels like what you are listening to is a forgotten Beach Boys song, other times it’s like you are jamming with the Riot City Blues-era Primal Scream – but mostly you will be transported to a hidden beach somewhere in Italy, where you have nothing to do but enjoy the sun and the sea. If you already started counting down the days to summer of 2016, here is something that will make it easier.
Periphilion (formerly Neokhrome), hailing from Debrecen, is one of the most unique Hungarian black metal bands currently on the scene. If you are already familiar with the music of the aformentioned Thy Catafalque, Borknagar, or Alcest, you know what this band is about: post-rock sensibilities, black metal foundations, occasional blastbeasts and shoegazing guitars, slight folk elements, mostly clean vocals, and post-metal flavors. It might sound a bit too much, and we have to admit that they aren’t as good at incorporating all of the diverse elements into their sound as others are; their vocalist needs a bit of improvement, too. But still, it’s one of those rare releases that restores our faith in Hungarian metal.
Funksters, prepare yourself! The Biebers took all of the cliches of the disco and pop songs of the ’80s and ’90s, added a bit of funk and electronic dance music, and transported the outcome into the world of GTA: Vice City. The result is – as they themselves call it – “traditional dance music for drunk children”, but we would go for the neon-funk-rock with an ex-talent-show wunderkind stealing the show as the male Gloria Gaynor. You can find 19 (!) songs on their debut album, with some surprising moments like the club banger “Something 'Bout You Baby” featuring Irie Maffia's MC Kemon, or “B.I.E.B.E.R.S.” that sounds like something that Justice would do when the French touch was in fashion. One of the most entertaining Hungarian albums of the year.
The music of the much-traveled singer-songwriter builds on delta blues, folk, and the rock music of the ’60s and ’70s alike. His characteristic guitar, energetic performance style, and diverse vocals make his debut album, “Let The Song Work On You”, a unique listen. Together with Zanzinger and Duke Bluebeard, he founded Lone Waltz Records this year, a small Hungarian label that releases the music of singer-songwriters like I Am Soyuz or Papaver Cousins – and the album was released through it.
The members of Amoeba were playing together long before they formed the band, both as the backing band of the hip-hop duo Akkezdet Phiai or in Fixi4. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that their debut album sounds like they’ve been resonating with each other for years, and that’s also why it packs the biggest punch of the year for jazz-funk-soulheads. Super groovy, amazingly fresh, and featuring guest vocalists like Berger Dalma (Volkova Sisters), Sena (Irie Maffia), M3NSA (RedRed), and Illspokinn. What else can you ask for?Check out our previously posted roundup of Budapest record stores to learn where to buy these albums.
