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By: Dennis Cook
One of music's virtues is the ability to transcend language. Through a numerical code worked through instruments, Tower of Babel thinking is undone. Dance together, sing even if one doesn't know the words, and the separation of our tongues dissolves and sharp tribal demarcations disappear. Given the right tune, music can uplift and unite, and we may not even really understand why. Such is the case with Extra Golden, a positive sonic conflagration that burns away falsehoods to reveal the things that bind us together. The third release from this merger of Kenyan and American musicians, Thank You Very Quickly (released March 9 on Thrill Jockey), is a resounding call to joy in the face of great strife embedded in some of the most seductive grooves you'll ever likely hear.
With basic tracks laid down in a single day in guitarist Ian Eagleson's parent's laundry room hallway in Chicago, Thank You Very Quickly carries over the massive energy of their just-completed 2008 summer tour (see JamBase's rave for their S.F. performance). Drawing strength from '60s psychedelia, Afrobeat thunder, slinky post-punk rock and many other tributaries, Extra Golden - Opiyo Bilongo (vocals), Eagleson (guitar, vocals), Noel Kupersmith (bass), Onyango Jagwasi (guitar), Alex Minoff (guitar, vocals) and Onyango Wuod Omari (drums) – create a sound that hums with life and love of craft and humanity. While it's unlikely that most non-African listeners will understand many of the lyrics, there's an urgency and passion to Thank You that strikes one in a totally non-verbal place. Sure, we English-only folks may not comprehend the specifics of the cry to destroy AIDS on "Ukimwi" but the feeling is palpable, and the same goes for the entire album.
Bubbling over with vinyl/analog warmth and immediacy - you can really tell these guys were in the same room, cooking along in real time - the guitars are ferocious and imaginative throughout, and the overall sound truly original. This isn't '80s Brit Pop, Fela, '60s Fillmore blues rock or Detroit garage rock, but there's something of each in these sharply executed, beautifully inclusive, continent-bridging songs. Thank You Very Quickly makes one want to run into sunlight, hand in hand with a stranger. That is the power of music, that is the power of Extra Golden.
Extra Golden begin a new tour in early April in Philadelphis. Tour dates here. They will also appear at this year's installment of the Joshua Tree Music Festival on May 15.
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