Hourglass

On their first album in five years, Antibalas return to the sound that launched their career back at the turn of the millennium. Hourglass is a straight-up slab of rich, punchy Afrobeat with a funk heartbeat, jazz lucidity, and no vocals. The Brooklyn bands core foundation was built around their instrumental prowess, though surprisingly, this is their first all-instrumental set. Over the years, they have paired elegant grooves with thoughtful lyrics about everything from late-stage capitalism and climate change to Native American genocide. Following 2020s conceptual Fu Chronicles, Antibalas parted ways with singer Duke Amayo, who had been with them since their debut. Rather than seek a new vocalist, they decided to emphasize what has been their primary asset all along: a big, robust band. Most of the albums six tracks stretch past the six-minute mark, offering plenty of time for the band to stretch out, take solos, and develop a groove. Opener "Solace" eases in with a nimble, insistent rhythm and shimmering electric piano before the first wall of brass hits, almost two minutes in. Tracks like "Escape" and "La Ceiba" fuse the deep-rooted Lagos Afrobeat sound with a bit of vintage psychedelic flair and plenty of verve. Over a quarter-century into their career, Antibalas have an innate chemistry and musical shorthand that sounds effortless. The heavy parts always hit hard, but the intricacies of their arrangements are what make them consistently interesting. ~ Timothy Monger