A friend sent me this album for Christmas last year and mentioned how Vulfpeck‘s bass player, Joe Dart, was “a monster.” He’s right, and the rest of the band are beasts as well. The Beautiful Game is a wild blend of funk and modern jazz played by expert craftsmen.
The album starts with a haunting clarinet solo on “The Sweet Science” – a brief instrumental intro for the wild tunes to come. The handclaps, bright synths, and bouncing beats and vocals of “Animal Spirits” make you feel like you’re in a hip romantic comedy. That monster bass comes out on “Dean Town.” It sounds like a Giorgio Moroder riff from the 1970’s. “Conscious Club” brings in German disco riffs to the band’s funk grooves.
“El Chepe” is almost blues-funk. “1 for 1, DiMaggio” has groovy Hammond B-3 organ and is a wild funk tune about baseball. How can you not love it? “Margery, My First Car” is not only a loving tribute to a car, but also the most psychedelic song on the record. Jack Stratton’s trombone work on “Aunt Leslie” is so good that it practically wallops you upside the head when you notice it. The album ends with “Cory Wong” – a song named after one of the band members who excels at fingerpicking guitar work. It has great organ work on it, too, and it a wild, funky track that’s a great cap to a wild, funky record.
Keep your mind open.
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