There’s a lot of talk about the classic “midwest sound” of Indiana soul revivalists Durand Jones & The Indications, but frontman Durand Jones is actually from Louisiana; he only found himself in Indiana for college shortly before he started playing with the band. Regardless, Jones & co. nail that vintage Motown / Tamla sound, with the country-fried sheen of the best Stax sides soaring through Jones’ voice on tracks like “Can’t Keep My Cool” and “Make A Change.” But the band’s crates run much deeper, citing soul obscurities like The Ethics and The Icemen as inspiration for this debut full-length. The band recorded Durand Jones & The Indications at home on a Tascam 4-track, lending an inimitable lo-fi veneer to complement the band’s vintage songs. If you didn’t know any better, you’d assume this was a newly-unearthed Numero Group joint. The album came out rather quietly on Colemine Records back in 2016, but demand has surged as a result of the band’s relentless touring over the past year, and Dead Oceans step up to remedy the shortage with a fresh repress. Daptone aficionados should be all over this; also goes down well paired with those cushy Isaac Hayes reissues.

• black vinyl pressing
• digital download included
• music label: Dead Oceans 2018

reviewed by big dumb man 03/2018