Belloluna
Livid and Loving It
Daemon
Belloluna. those whacked-out, cosmic lounge lizards are back with their follow-up to the sublime Pleasant Music for Nice People. With a title like Livid and Loving It, one would guess it’s not quite as up lifting as Pleasant Music. This new record is the lounge act tossing aside the faux happiness and giving the late night audience a taste on their real emotions. It’s like Bill Murray’s lounge singer contemplating suicide. OK, it’s not that melancholy but when you think about it, Pleasant Music wasn’t really that cheery. Under the surface of the music there were some caustic, biting, lyrics, and nothing has changed. Granted, Livid and Loving It, has moved into a less bouncy, more sophisticated realm, it certainly isn’t music to kill yourself by. It’s a fun record with intelligent lyrics and groovy, smoky arrangements. Lending much more to jazz than pop, if you listen close you’ll hear bits of Dixieland, some Herb Alpert-style horns, and maybe even a wink and a nod to Dave Brubeck and Stan Getz. If you listen really close, you’ll hear a really good band performing a really wonderful record. Daemon Records, P.O. Box 1207, Decatur, GA 30031; http://www.monsterbit.com/daemon