Ruckus

I've been told that Galactic does one hell of a live show.  That the albums can't duplicate the energy of their lengthy jams.  You've heard this about the Grateful Dead and Phish as well. Galactic employs shades of blues, funk, rock, and with the 2003 album Ruckus, electronica.  It was my first awareness of them.  I heard the lead off song "Bittersweet" on Radio Paradise, a listener supported Web station I was hugely into at the time (they're still going strong; check 'em out).  Theryl DeClouet's thundering vocals make the tune a real attention getter.  It's an amazing piece of music you should listen to immediately.  Stanton Moore's drums are also a standout.  This must've been ferocious on stage.

Moore also lends his soulful voice to the more laid back, jazzy "Uptown Odyssey" - that of the genre of Cautionary Tales of Young Folks Just Starting Out ala Billy Joel's "Scenes From An Italian Restaurant."  Ruckus was dismissed by some long time fans of the New Orleans band for their embracing of samples, loops, and sequencing.  They cite tunes like "Gypsy Fade" and "Bongo Joe".  Producer Dan the Automator was a heavy influence, and hip hop is felt in every track as well.  Tracks like "Paint" may also feel like lounge.  You can dance and chill to it.  I went back and absorbed the earlier albums, too.  I love most all of it.

"The Beast" and "Doomed" nicely capture the band's improvisational feel.  The only track I'm not in love with on Ruckus is the so-so cover of General Public's "Tenderness"

Radio Paradise dramatically broadened my music horizons.  I got into Neko Case, Little Feat, and Sigur Ros largely because of it.  Galactic is at the forefront, and I'd love to get to NO sometime to see them entirely in their element.