Brassy

The days of comparing Brassy front-woman, Muffin Spencer, to her blues brother Jon are officially over. The New York native, along with her Manchester band-mates, has taken a giant leap from her sibling’s shadow by turning up her songwriting skills to a level of extreme catchiness that you didn’t think could be improved on. Gettin Wise is one of those rare records where every song has a great enough hook and overly-catchy beat that it could be the next hit single, but this isn’t some bubble-gum experiment to clog the airwaves. On their first record, Got It Made, Brassy blended their love of hip-hop with thrashing guitars and punk-speed drums to create a raw and intense fury of musical force, but things have taken a turn for the better this time around. Apart from the guitar-fronted "So Long Baby” and "Turn This Thing Up,” most of this effort is free of crunchy guitars and rises to great levels through more electronic manipulation. The hip-hop and funk influence breaks through at a greater level as DJ Swett (Jonny Barrington) cuts records over Karen Frost’s chunky bass lines while Spencer delivers her gritty, yet beautiful vocals. There’s just too many perfect combinations within Gettin Wise not to take notice, from Frost and Spencer’s delicious harmonies to the drumming and cutting skills of Barrington. Just peep the closing track, "Good Place,” to see what incredible heights this outfit can reach when all parts are running strong. Brassy might have been too ahead of their time when they hit us hard the first time around, but with all the current interest in electronic and rock fusion this band finally needs their day in the spotlight.