The Budos Band - The Budos Band II

The Budos Band II is the sound of a Staten Island crew taking Afro-soul, Ethiopian grooves and vintage funk and pressing them into something heavier and moodier than any of those labels suggest.

Released on Daptone in 2007, the band's second album arrived while the label was riding high on its soul revival, and the Budos crew carved out their own darker corner of it. Entirely instrumental, the group lets horns, organ, guitar and a thick bed of percussion do all the talking, and they have plenty to say. Members also backed other Daptone artists, and it shows.

Chicago Falcon kicks things off with the band's trademark horn-led swagger, and Budos Rising stalks forward on a brooding, hypnotic groove. Mas O Menos and Ride or Die picked up a second life on the in-game radio of the video game Sleeping Dogs, and it is easy to hear why: these tracks were made for dark streets and neon reflections. The rest of the set keeps the tension simmering right to the final note.

Nearly two decades on, this remains one of the standout records of the Daptone era, gritty and cinematic, and very hard to sit still through. Play it loud and let the horns fill the room.