Concert Fri Nov 14 2008

Get Weeded

Ever since emerging from the acid jazz/rare-groove scene of early '90s London, The Herbaliser have been serving up a top-notch blend of dusted beats, downtempo vibes, and cinematic soul. At the core of the outfit, the duo of DJ Ollie Teeba and Jake Wherry have worked with a revolving door ensemble of musicians and vocalists -- as well as teaming up with notable indie hip-hop emcees like Roots Manuva, MF Doom, and frequent collaborator Jean Grae. After a 10-year run with the Ninja Tunes label, the Herbaliser's new album, Same As It Never Was, was recently released on the Studio !K7 imprint.

The album's kick-off, title track -- building off a horn-section riff reminiscent of "Hold On, I'm Comin'" -- hits the mark that the band's aiming for these days and gives the listener an ideal taste of what to expect. While there's still some traces of The Herbaliser's trademark filmic tendencies breezing in now and again (check the glitzy Mancini-esque swing of "Amores Bongo"), this time Teeba and Wherry have crafted a polished and floor-friendly LP -- one that's pointedly more steeped in the fat, rich sounds of throwback roadhouse soul than, say, those of '60s spy-movie soundtracks. A decade-plus on, the band has not only kept it's vibe, but has proven that it still has a few tricks up its sleeves.

The Herbaliser is currently touring stateside to support Same As It Never Was, bringing with them their new vocalist Jessica Darling and a full band -- including a full horn section. They'll be playing at Darkroom this coming Tuesday evening, headlining on a bill that also includes Shala, and DJ Intel and Striz. 2210 W. Chicago Ave. Tickets are $15 in advance, $18 the night of, and doors open at 8 PM.

[video]: The Herbaliser - "Can't Help This Feeling"
[video]: The Herbaliser - "Goldrush" (c. 1999)

— Graham Sanford / Comments (0)