Our June Record of the Month is Durand Jones & The Indications’ Flowers, another vibrant evolution of their soul sound.
With the players involved, it’s little wonder that Durand Jones & The Indications go from strength to strength — and man alive is this new LP a strong one! After more than a decade of making music together, The Bloomington soul band has truly grown into a confident, collaborative force. The lineup is anchored by the titular (and sublime) Durand Jones on vocals, with additional vocals from Aaron Frazer behind the kit and Blake Rhein on guitar; but their ability to bring others into the fold is a long standing virtue, with Steve Okonski’s keyboard work in particular a fine addition to the sound. That hardworking soul band legitimacy is also well illustrated with the majority of the album being self produced at Rhein's home studio in Chicago, and more often than not evolving out of one-take demos.
Although the album is full of gorgeous subtlety and smooth-soul prowess, it also has a real rawness too, a small room intimacy of players playing that is really immersive. The way they lock in that vibe so consistently enables them to coherently move from tender and soulful, to psychedelic and grooving with great flow. As they explain, the title isn’t just symbolic — Flowers is about recognition, gratitude, and the joy of seeing something bloom after years of nurturing it. This is such self-assured music, and it seems to just flow out of them. I guess it just takes time.
💐 A real beauty!
Available in three, six or twelve month configurations, you can join the Drift Record of the Month Club and start adding to your amazing collection. Each month you will receive one new album on either vinyl or CD, based on your subscription type. The first delivery (whether CD or LP) will also include a complimentary Drift Pin.
Find out more here.
Recent 'Record of the Month' albums at Drift have included; Stereolab, Walt McClements, Los Pirañas, Darkside, Delivery. White Denim, Kim Deal, W. H. Lung, Kit Sebastian, The Big Club, Orquesta Akokán, O., Mdou Moctar, Gustaf, Adrianne Lenker, William Doyle, Bill Ryder-Jones, Harp, Hotline TNT, Black Pumas, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Georgia, Cory Hanson, Overmono, North Americans, H. Hawkline, Yo La Tengo, The Murder Capital, Goat Girl, Black Country, New Road, Jane Weaver, Dry Cleaning, Squid, White Flowers, Stephen Fretwell, Chubby and the Gang, Low, BADBADNOTGOOD, Damon Albarn, Geese, Silverbacks, Cate Le Bon, Huerco S., Daniel Rossen, Kevin Morby, Vintage Crop, Viagra Boys, The Lounge Society, Jockstrap, Trevor Beales, Aoife Nessa Frances and Sarathy Korwar.