Geggy Tah
Into The Oh
Virgin/Luaka Bop
Originally scheduled for release several years ago, due to label shifting Geggy Tah’s third release appears on the Virgin and Luaka Bop labels. For longtime fans of Geggy Tah, this album was well worth the wait. For those unfamiliar with Geggy Tah, the first thing that strikes your ears is how much the singer, Tommy Jordan, sounds like Dave Matthews. Despite that similarity, the music both bands make is quite distinct. Unlike Matthews’ tendency towards a jam band feel, Geggy Tah retains a tight jazz and funk sensibility. On this release, they expand a bit, but the touchstones on jazz, funk, rock, and pop are all within their reach.
The opening track, “Goodnight to the Machine,” is merely a message left on their answering machine from one of their grandfathers. But this innocuous opening sets the stage for most of what is to follow. The songs, in all their dynamic settings, address love, life, and living life in an era of high technology. The second song, “One Zero,” follows this trend, but it is on the third track that the band begins hitting all eight cylinders. “Dumb Submarine” addresses the primary concerns of the album, and is the track from where the album’s title is drawn: “If this is the age of communication/How come I feel lost in isolation?/My brain is a dumb submarine/Never descending into the ocean/Into the O, Into the O.” This isn’t music for eggheads, though. From this track onward, the band moves fast with songs that make you want to dance and sing.
I can already hear the dorm rooms blaring this album out. Young love blossoming anew as kids make out to the refrain of “Sweat”: “Sweat is the perfume of lovers, sweat is the best perfume.” Slap this disc on and work up a sweat with someone you love (or someone you hardly even know).
Virgin Records America, Inc. 338 N. Foothill Rd. Beverly Hills, CA 90210; http://www.virginrecords.com, http://www.luakabop.com, http://www.geggytah.com
