Yamerarena-I

VINYL FORMAT. Pixeltan's latest effort - their first release in five years, and long overdue - is a four-song EP that not only solidifies a sound they have slowly (very slowly) developing over the course of a decade, but also completely redefines what the trio is capable of. The new tracks are both referential and reverential while still being modern, fun, and very funky indeed.

On "Yamerarena-I," Pixeltan builds steady bass and guitar lines atop a foundation of Afro percussion while vocalist Mike Yoneta's matter-of-fact vocals veer from Japanese to English. "Scatter" and "No More Delay" take a page - or at least a few notes - from Larry Levan's Paradise Garage disco songbook; "I Told You So" shows an appreciation for ESG, adds layers of dynamic percussive elements, and showcases Yoneta's ability to go from sweetly menacing to raw-throated screams in a moment's notice.

Pixeltan's eclecticism is a natural byproduct of the musical experience each member brings to the group: drummer Hisham Bharoocha formerly played with both Black Dice and Lightning Bolt and Yoneta and bass player Devin Flynn are ex-members of Plate Tectonics.