Drunksouls and Their Music Revolution

Flying sharks, 20’s King Kong, deformed multi-eyed beasts, fist-pumping humans — Yeah, sounds like the future.

Drunksouls play a variety of “drunk” music, a genre of musical expression created and defined by them. Well, beyond “groove” it’s not really defined. I am going to try my hand at creating a definition. “Drunk” music represents an odd phenomenon that often occurs when one is intoxicated – the combination of consuming several genres, like foods when drunk, into a mishmashed Huck Finn-like jumble that you don’t think could possibly taste good, but when you take a bite out of it you are satisfied. Now I promise I am perfectly sober writing this post, so perhaps my analogy isn’t the best. The fact remains, though, that Drunksouls combines elements of rock, reggae, 90s ska, funk, and electronic music into a combination that is refreshing and original.

Drunksouls does not only represent the most diverse band we have profiled here on the Music Court, but also they are the first international act that has graced our digital platform. The independent French band carries almost ten members in their fun coterie and their new album Revolution features 16 tracks, with a few gems that I will profile today.

Firstly, though, we must look at the busy album cover above. It’s like a 10-year-old’s nightmare after he has seen Jaws, King Kong, and Tremors, all in one night (what horrible parenting!) It’s also bloody awesome. Is it representative of the tunes? Sure! It’s a combination of a whole bunch of odd stuff. It fits right in. Let’s get to some music. We will start with my favorite song on the album which is called “Human Race” and falls as track two.

The five-minute song begins with a four-chord surf-guitar progression played by guitarist Julien Mur. This leads into head-nodding ska beat produced by Pierre Pesin and the trumpet. It is an attractive rhythm and infectious. Djamil Ramdane, the vocalist for the group, has an eccentric voice that is high and effective. He effortlessly produces the verse which has such hedonistic gems as, “Always looking for a better heaven, Cause everything is not enough for me” which made me laugh at its satire. The chorus is followed by some alien electronic noises and a small change-up in the rhythm, but the horns come back and normalcy (if you can call it that) is restored. The song is fit with a guitar solo as well. It is an excellent ska piece (one of the best I have heard in years) and I just want to listen to it again.

“J’ai fait un reve,” the following track, which means “I Had a Dream” is another song that deserves a mention. It is immediately different from its previous tune, featuring a bluesy guitar over a Spanish-sounding rhythm and a spacey swooning noise. The initial beat is replaced by an acoustic guitar and the vocals for the first few lines and then it comes back. It is a pleasant riff, invoking images of a calm beach and sun. It’s a shorter song, but I love it for its simplicity.

I urge you to check out the rest of the album. Take a listen to “Happy Death Day,” another gem from the album.

You can stream the entire album for free on the band’s Soundcloud and make sure to like them on Facebook