The Anti label is willing to produce the type of DIY artists who are obviously more concerned with what their music is doing for them as opposed to what it may do for whoever is listening. It's this type of balls out approach that brings us Brooklyn's Antibalas: a reggae-infused, ska-inspired, band playing funk-derived afrobeats. If that description seems longwinded, it needs to be. Feeling more like a jam session than a record, their label debut, Security, offers seven tracks coming in at a running time of just under an hour. With two songs going over the ten minute mark Antibalas, who's name is Spanish for bulletproof, makes use of the length to showcase all of their dozen members; encompassing synths, a full horn section, guitars, bass, and various percussion to create their unique style.
Anachronistic in their approach the band comes up with something I assume would have been frequent on the likes of the original Shaft, or Magnum P.I., series with no sense of irony being offered as justification. It's obvious that, though fun, this is not a kitsch release, or even meant as a throwback to something in an earlier decade. The achievement of originality is questionable, but the tunes work as a mosaic of influences, if at times distracting for the sheer amount of layers. With sparse vocals, and frequent changes in tone, Security attempts to relay a storytelling approach with music, specifically aiming for this technique through variance of pace and tempo. The effectiveness wavers: with songs such as "I.C.E" leaving the listener flowing into a positive questioning of the approach, and other songs such as "Sanctuary" in which the only question is when it will end.
Being unfamiliar with any sort of dub based genre, it's hard to comment on just how unique Antibalas is. For being on a label immersed in the indie/folk/punk/hardcore scenes, and attempting to appeal to that type of listener, however, the band comes across as something new. Call me biased; I'd still rather listen to The Specials.
