One night at a dance party, just when everyone was getting sick of Scissor Sisters disco, but too late for the edge of Justice, the two worlds of modern dancehall collided and formed The Phenomenal Handclap Band. PHB’s self-titled debut has old-school funk (“Give It A Rest”) and soul (“Testimony”), ’60s psychedelia (also in “Testimony,” among other songs), and all this and more (“All of the Above”). “Dim The Lights” made me think of a dance version of Norman Greenbaum’s classic, “Spirit in the Sky,” while other songs recalled Booker T and the MGs. And there’s a reason the band is capable of such skill and range–the album features appearances by members of the Dap Kings, TV on the Radio, L’Trimm, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Mooney Suzuki, Persephone’s Bees and Apollo Heights, among others. Great stuff.
