Song of the Day: The Bamboos - Avenger

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s song, featured on the Midday Show with Cheryl Waters, is "Avenger" by The Bamboos from the 2014 album Fever In the Road on Nettwerk Records.

The Bamboos - Avenger (MP3)

Not the usual hard funk that Melbourne's The Bamboos supply, "Avenger" feels as if it waltzed out of an early James Bond film, martini and all. Armed with a thick bass line and a steady drum-beat, the track has a total sixties feel a bit like early B-52s. The first line of the song, "Any minute / They'll be coming for us, for us," speaks to the same sense of paranoia experienced by even the most sangfroid spy. In 2013, the Australasian Performing Right Association nominated "Avenger" as a contender for song-of-the-year, affirming the sonic strides The Bamboos are making. Since the release of their last album, Medicine Man, featuring twelve stunningly fly vocal tracks, it seems that The Bamboos are stepping away from the all-instrumental, Weather Report-esque pieces explored on their first album, Step It Up. Earlier songs like the seven-minute deep funk epic "In The Bamboo Groove," show The Bamboos' versatility, but "Avenger" suggests a cool shift in tempo and a more urgent state-of-mind. In fact, Fever In the Road seems to be a total artistic re-visioning for the band, leaving listeners entangled in their smooth wake. But, maybe it's just their awesome, espionage-themed video that's making me think this way. Inception? I guess I'll never know. Check it out below, and be sure to following them on Facebook and Twitter for more great music.