Giraffe's 'The Towering Inferno With Bongo Drums' Is a Sunday-Morning Jam That Sounds Like a Saturday-Night Secret
The Sonic Breakdown
Dave Harrington (half of Darkside) is the leader here, with Robert Walter (The Greyboy Allstars) on keys, Spencer Zahn on guitar, and Kosta Galanopoulos on drums. The band went into 64 Sound in Los Angeles and cut The Towering Inferno With Bongo Drums in a single day — eleven tracks with titles like “Dancer With No Bones Under The Sun,” “Boogie in The House of Secrets (Part I)” and its later “(Part II),” and the shouting-back “Hey! Cool It, Everybody.”
The Production & Mix
The Low-End: Walter’s keys and Harrington’s guitar share the low mid like two people passing a book back and forth; nothing is fighting.
The Spatial Dynamics: Recorded live, mixed live-ish; you can hear which mic caught which cymbal, and it’s part of the pleasure. Andy at Raven Sings the Blues, who premiered the record, described it as “a slippery strain of funk into jazz, psych, and jam,” and got it exactly right when he said “the band’s demeanor finds them locked towards languid more often than not, giving this one a hazy, relaxed feeling that’s more about Sunday mornings than Saturday nights.”
Standout Performance
Galanopoulos on drums is the reason the languid actually stays musical instead of dissolving. His pocket keeps a track like “BONGO ZOO” from ever cashing in the joke of its title.
Why It’s Certified
- ⚡ “Boogie in The House of Secrets (Part I)” leading into “Part II” via three interposed tracks — a two-part hinge that works.
- 🌈 “Room of Forgotten Names” — the album’s quiet altar.
- 🌈 RSTB’s read: “It’s amazing how tight the band feels after such a short tenure, but here’s hoping this is just the start of things to come from the new outfit.” Seconded.