Album Review: 'Long in the Tooth' by The Budos Band
By Poleth Aranda
No less expected from the Budos, ”Long in the Tooth” portray what they came to offer to the music world back in 2005 with their debut album, straight to position themselves on the playlist of those who enjoy some serious afro beats, turn festive listening good funk but also keep it rocker at heart.
The uniqueness of The Budos Band is that every album is high-quality material, no mierda de toro, true talk. (The Budos Band)
I cannot describe The Budos Band in any other way but the perfect soundtrack if you want to drive a desert landscape highway or walk in the street feeling you are fully loaded with swag or even turn your trip to the market into a glamorous and mysterious journey. AllMusic described the group as a "doom rock Afro-soul big band with a '70s touch" that joins "musical universes from trippy psychedelia and Afro-funk to '70s hard rock and late-'60s soul." That’s a very specific description, but as close as it can be to describe their sound.
They have been evolving since their first homonymous album in 2005, then “The Budos Band II” and “The Budos Band III” sounded like a Quentin Tarantino movie theme, funk and heavy but flowy, with a pinch of darkness and psychedelia, with the sax, the trumpets, the congas, the organ and all the kits to create music to move your feet and shoulders with. The heavy metal influences of Budos started to be more obvious in the “IV” album, with some distortion guitar solos, bold bass, and dense slow tempos here and there. Continuing with the heavy rock in 2019, the “V” album happened, this time way less dance and more devastation, very ‘Black Sabbath-ish’ doom and dense as hell.
“Long in the Tooth” is short but damn, is it mighty. No filling rhythm moments, substantial from start to end. The first song same surname with its glorious tempest sounds qualifying for a scene where the “anti-hero” is walking in slow motion from a gigantic explosion. This psychedelic afro-soul and hard rock sonorous template that the band has consolidated keeps going the next six songs. A little twist comes in “Gun Metal Grey” the hypnotizing sweet guitar rhythms dominating the melody at the beginning and the end trapped me completely, hands down my highlight. Following for “Mierda de Toro” (literal Spanish translation of “bullshit”) with some Mexican Mariachi trumpet melodies. And finally, the psychedelic closure with “Renegade”, the organ, the guitar solos, and the bizarre effects atmosphere are simply charming, I couldn’t ask for a better end for this album. Yes, one for here and two more to go, please.
The uniqueness of The Budos Band is that every album is high-quality material, no mierda de toro, true talk. Once again, they delivered a multiple times playable album, they are indeed long tooth musicians from whom I will keep waiting for the “next”, they’ve never let me down.
Poleth is a culture writer for La Tonique
