Best of 2018 #11: Dos Santos – “Logos”

Quite often, when an album does something a little bit different, it stops me in place.  I’m forced to come to terms with what I’m hearing and develop an interface with it that (eventually) evolves into something more than a cerebral reaction, where it becomes not just an art piece, but a living communication between artist and listener, transmitting a dialog of thoughts and ideas and epiphanies.  What I esteem quite highly of the 2018 release from Chicago outfit Dos Santos is how they quickly shepherd things right past that first stage of interaction.  What I wrote for The Bandcamp Daily about Logos still sums up my feelings about this quality:

What’s remarkable about Logos is that it has a magnetic charm, and finds endless ways of channeling it. Sometimes it’s with the seductive groove of cumbia, and sometimes it’s with the electrical charge of salsa. Then, there are moments it sizzles with a rock ‘n’ roll edge before slipping into a soul jazz sway that sounds like gospel for the dance floor.

That snippet doesn’t go deep enough into the influences that inform this wonderful recording, but it does get to the heart of why the music’s source of fun doesn’t cause a need to differentiate between cerebral, emotional or physical reactions.  It’s just felt, and every pathway of those reactions will lead to a smile.  There’s a euphoric hit from this music and its got a heavy vibe of cool and is bound together with some thoughtful ingredients, and that combination of qualities, by and large, is what it’s all about, and the reason why we keep coming back for more.

Released on International Anthem.

Music from Chicago, IL.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon