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 this fresh repress on translucent red wax. Daptone aficionados should be all over this; also goes down well paired with those cushy Isaac Hayes reissues.

• translucent red colored vinyl
• digital download included
• limited edition
• music label: Dead Oceans 2018

reviewed by big dumb man 03/2018