Jazzhound

Appearing as if out of the dusky, late-afternoon shadows of downtown Los Angeles, post-punk noir outfit the Buttertones have built a loyal fan base amalgamating wild-eyed surf twang, punky dance-rock grooves, cool 50s pulp novel imagery, and a yearning, 80s guitar jangle. They bring all of these touchstones to bear on their brilliantly moody fifth studio album, 2020s Jazzhound. Once again working with producer Jonny Bell (who produced their equally engaging 2018 album Midnight in a Moonless Dream), the Buttertones coalesce their blue-toned sound with songs that balance their strong conceptual skills with lyrical hooks and perfectly executed arrangements. At the core of their sound is lead singer/songwriter Richard Araiza, who grounds each song with his broad baritone, evoking a dreamlike combination of Scott Walker, Joy Divisions Ian Curtis, and French crooner Jacques Brel. Its a mood that also brings to mind Morrisseys early work with the Smiths, an influence the Buttertones nicely evoke throughout Jazzhound, especially on the sparkling guitar-and-synth balladry of Fade Away Gently and the driving arpeggiated kineticism of Dirty Apartment. Other equally evocative influences abound, as on the funky Rise and Shine, which vividly draws upon Orange Juices loungey post-punk rhythms, punctuating them with a guttural, soulful baritone sax solo from London Guzman that sounds like it was culled straight from David Bowies Black Tie White Noise. Elsewhere, they dig into their manic surf-rock riffs on the opening Phantom Eyes, the Dick Dale-esque Velour, and the propulsive, tube-amp-soaked Bebop, the latter of which brings to mind the late-70s art-punk of James Chance. While its easy to sink back into the crepuscular rock ambiance of the Buttertones sound, theres also a poetic, transcendental quality to Araizas lyrics that lends these songs an added emotional heft. On Denial You Win Again, he sings, This feeling in my gut continues to grow/Have I been this man the whole time?/A chess game in my mind/I look away. Its that kind of cinematic introspection on Jazzhound that grabs you by the lapels and wont let you turn away. ~ Matt Collar