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After summer 2008’s three-month,
international tour (highlighted by performances at both
Pitchfork and Roskilde festivals), Extra Golden settled
down to record the follow-up to their acclaimed Hera
Ma Nono. The result is Thank You Very Quickly, a six-song
wonder of a record whose joyous danceable anthems were
crafted in the wake of political and economic upheaval
in Kenya.
Flexibility, resilience, and invention
have always been keys to Extra Golden’s success, and the recording
process of Thank You Very Quickly was no exception. The
basic tracks were recorded in one day, with the group
set up in the third floor hallway/laundry room of guitarist
Ian Eagleson’s parents’ house. While perhaps
not the ideal studio situation, this arrangement went
a long way to confirm the group’s belief that “tight
quarters = tight grooves”. Additional tracking
was done in the Pocono Mountains and again, back at the
Eagleson’s. The record was mixed in Washington,
DC, with Jonathan Kreinik and Nikhil Ranade.
While Extra Golden’s first two albums served as
thesis and antithesis, Thank You Very Quickly showcases
a new level of artistry that could only be referred to
as synthesis. That is to say that Extra Golden is no
longer an experiment or “collaborative encounter”,
but (wait for it!) a band. For evidence of this evolution,
one need look no further than the album’s fierce
opener, “Gimakiny Akia”, a dance-floor choogler
for high altitudes. “Fantasies of the Orient” has
a spring in its step while reminding the listener that
one doesn’t have to live as a monkey to find happiness.
Kenyan schoolchildren sing songs like “Piny Yore
Yore”, minus the shimmering guitars and explosive
tom-tom rolls. The lysergic blues/disco groove of “Anyango” is
sure to be a huge hit - with a psychedelic surprise for
the heads. Drummer Onyango Wuod Omari steps out front
on “Ukimwi”, a passionate plea to destroy
AIDS. Finally, the album’s title track and closer
extends a humble thanks to all of the group’s fans
who donated money to keep Extra Golden’s families
alive and safe amidst Kenya’s post-election violence
of early 2008. Though musically quite progressive, Thank
You Very Quickly also consciously recalls many elements
of the pre-digital age - from the album’s overall
look and length, to its “live” drum sound
and organic guitar tones.
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