Here at Orenda Records, we receive a lot of music to review for release consideration. But it's not every day that a tuba, guitar, drums trio crosses our desk - and it's even rarer to hear such a formation explode with the kind of commanding vigor and infectious levity that the LA/Brooklyn bicoastal band Evil Genius embodies. Steeped in genre bending, wry wit, and dazzling virtuosity, this trio’s impressive debut, Bitter Human, is like nothing you've ever heard, and might make you smile way more than you think.

For someone who initially wanted to be an astronaut, composer Derrick Spiva Jr. writes music that could be more rooted in our Earthly humanity. Drawing his inspiration from disparate cultures the world over, and embracing a global view of our connected spirits, Spiva's music is transcendent, unifying, danceable, and as the Los Angeles Times says "enormous fun." His debut album Prisms, Cycles, Leaps is a lush, rhythmic, and soaring exploration of our modern humanity, bound by sound, and propelled by incredible optimism and pure joy.

Daniel Corral's Diamond Pulses is a profound meditation, whether by intent or accident, on the connectivity of souls. It glistens in a sort of magical starlight, like aliens dancing under a cosmic disco ball, and, well, "pulses" with a dreamlike vitality that entrances the the imagination. Drawing on cultural influences as broad as Balinese rhythms, Terry Riley and Harry Partch, and even modern EDM, the sound reaches into outer space while kicking Earthen dust with dancing feet. 

We live in a world more globally connected and interwoven than at any point in our known history...well, at least the accepted version. For all the cat videos, memes, and political vitriol spewed forth by the great "like machine" that is social media, that interconnectedness yields some truly wonderful moments, and in some cases, even beautiful collaborative art.

It would be easy to overlook a new post-punk indie rock band from Los Angeles, but in the opening seconds their powerful self-titled debut, Fell Runner seizes their moment with infectious interlocking guitar riffs, seductive vocals, surging rhythm, rolling bass, and an noisy inter-continental vibe that could put you on almost any beach in the world! Seamlessly blending influences from Tune-Yards, Dirty Projectors, Pixies, and Wilco with a studied and extensive understanding of West African traditional music, their sound is a kind of folk-punk-world mash-up that can only be categorized as forward-thinking, global, and awesome.