Eksi Ekso - Brown Shark, Red Lion

Eksi Ekso (which means "six outside" in Greek) are an extremely talented trio hailing from Boston, Masachusetts. Originally starting out as a six-piece (hence "six outside"), the band released "I Am Your Bastard Wings" in June of 2008. This album had more of an orchestarted feel than their newest offering "Brown Shark, Red Lion" and this is partly due to the fact that two of the original female members played violins for the album. This is no longer the case. Although "Brown Shark, Red Lion" has a minor orchestrated feel, the album is mainly influenced by post-rock and r&b/soul sensibilities (at least that is what I hear). While "I Am Your Bastard Wings" had a melancholic and gloomy feel to it, "Brown Shark, Red Lion" has more of an upbeat and positive vibe. Many reviewers have been comparing this album to TV on the Radio and Mogwai, and I hear this myself, but Eksi Ekso have brought on a new genre all together (and a good one at that). You can listen to the first three songs of the album by clicking on the Eksi Ekso music player above the blog posts.

The album opens with "Kills Of The Flood Tide", which was released on single vinyl months prior to the album release. This is the first single off of the album and gives off that pop/mainstream single feel upon first listen. All the elements are present (pop vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, etc.) and this song is sure to be enjoyed by anyone that gives it a spin. The next track "Carte de Visite" is my favorite track off of the album and this is where the TV on the Radio and Mogwai influences come in. A music blog that I visit entitled stereotypingmusic.blogspot.com has quoted this song as sounding like "TV on the Radio sprinkled with metal sauteed in Mogwai". I couldn't agree more with this comparison. The vocals sound very similar to TV on the Radio and the electronic glitches sound a lot like Mogwai's "The Sun Smells Too Loud" off of "The Hawk is Howling". These two bands go down in my list of favorites, as does Eksi Ekso, so to be compared but to also have a style of their own is incredible. I am not going to go into details about each song, because I would like for the viewers of this blog, as well as music fans in general, to take a listen on their own. All I can say is that you need to hear this album. If you are a fan of TV on the Radio or Mogwai, good, but that is not why you should listen to this album. You should listen to this album because it draws on a variety of genres and has a complex and unique style of its own.