The Motet

The Motet

Album: “Death or Devotion”

Grade: 4 stars (out of 4)

Unsuspecting listeners may stumble into “Death or Devotion” and, based on first impressions, figure that it’s a lost funk/soul gem from the late 1970s. They may even guess The Motet is a band whose only album – maybe long out-of-print or even hardly ever in-print – was discovered by a crate-digging DJ in a basement record store in Brooklyn or Los Angeles.

In fact, The Motet is a Denver-based septet that’s been around for nearly two decades, and “Death or Devotion” is the band’s ninth studio album. It is a funk/soul gem, but luckily it’s not at all lost.

Already on lead track “Highly Compatible,” The Motet’s intentions are clear. Strings, horn accents, vintage keyboard sounds, funky bass grooves and Lyle Divinsky’s vocals are all at the service of a smooth flow that’s dancefloor ready and a fun listen to boot.

The album’s first single, “Whacha Gonna Bring,” besides conveying a message of tolerance and understanding, was tied to efforts to sign up voters for last year’s mid-term election. While the album’s title isn’t directly mentioned in the single’s lyrics, the song attempts to inspire some reflection and make us more conscious about the choices we make and the attitudes we assume.

There’s a lot of positivity in the songs, plenty of passion – both idealist and sensual – and it all comes full circle with the nearly instrumental “Speed of Light,” which sounds like a Rick James riff done like Daft Punk where even the usually overused vocoder fits the bill.

–Pablo Gorondi, Associated Press

Beirut

Album: “Gallipoli”

Grade: 4 stars (out of 4)

Front-man Zach Condon of indie folk rock band Beirut has a penchant for world music, pulling various cultural influences into every record he’s made. “Gallipoli” feels especially inspired. Some of the zest lacking in the band’s 2015 album “No No No” is fully realized in this new album.

Triumphant horns, Farfisa organ, synthesizer and parading drums pervade the tracks. Notes are channeled, according to Condon, through broken amplifiers, PA systems, space echoes and tape machines in order to create planned imperfection. Vocally, Condon comes through more powerful on this album than on “No No No.”

“Varieties of Exile,” “Gallipoli” and “When I Die” are standouts. “Varieties of Exile” brings bohemian, island influences used by bands like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and adds The Smith’s Morrissey-like vocals.

The title track is lighthearted and jubilant, inspired by a brass processional Condon followed through the streets of the southern Italian town for which it is named. “When I Die” is more peaceful and joyful than morose. “When I die/I want to travel light,” Condon croons, “Don’t cry I/promise that I’ll get it right/I’ve been practicing my whole life.”

“Gallipoli” is the album we need today – one that celebrates the beauty of cultures colliding. Condon takes you with him, from the streets of Berlin to the coastline of Italy. As if cultural inclusion wasn’t obvious enough in its sonic representation, Condon makes it fully apparent on the band’s website which features an introduction to “Gallipoli” in seven languages including Portuguese and Japanese.

Hearing Condon return to vocal and expressive brilliance in this 12-track collection is a sigh of relief for Beirut fans. “Gallipoli” will be sweet music to the ears of new and nonfans, alike, as the band continues its exploration of diverse cultural sounds.

–Ragan Clark, Associated Press