Galactic Celebrate Mardi Gras on 'Carnivale Electricos'

BY Gregory AdamsPublished Nov 29, 2011

Galactic are ready to release their next party-approved album. While just this year, the eclectic New Orleans outfit delivered the "scorching, 'all-killer, no-filler'" live disc The Other Side of Midnight, it's been almost two years since the troupe issued their last studio effort Ya-Ka-May. They're now ending the drought with the Mardi Gras-celebrating Carnivale Electricos.

Carnivale Electricos is said to explore "the connections between the Mardi Gras in their native New Orleans and the mighty megacarnivals of Brazil," according to the press release, and finds the group touting a parade of influences, from "blistering rock, hip-hop and R&B, to samba, zydeco, jazz and of course, funk."

The album is set to be released February 21 (on Mardi Gras, naturally) via Anti-. You can listen to new tune "Hey Na Na" here.

On top of their own brassy arrangements, the partially NOLA-inspired set features scores of Louisiana-bred guests, including Cyril and Ivan Neville, Mannie Fresh, Mystikal, Big Chief Juan Pardo and the riotous KIPP Renaissance High School Band.

For the Brazilian side of things, the group have arranged a cover of Sergio Mendes's classic Mardi Gras anthem "Magalenha" and supplied their own "Guero Bounce" with both Brazilian rhythms and a New Orleans bounce beat.

Now that they've wrapped studio sessions, Galactic are ready to get back on the road. While no Canadian dates exist at present, the band will be whipping across the U.S. come February. Check the schedule here.

Carnivale Electricos:

1. "Ha Di Ka" (ft. Big Chief Juan Pardo and the Golden Comanche)
2. "Hey Na Na" (ft. David Shaw from The Revivalists and Maggie Koerner)

3. "Magalenha" (ft. Casa Samba)

4. "Voyage Ton Flag"
5. "Out in the Street" (ft. Cyril and Ivan Neville)
6. "JuLou"
7. "Move Fast" (ft. Mystikal and Mannie Fresh)
8. "Karate" (ft. KIPP Renaissance High School Marching Band)
9. "Guero Bounce"
10. "Carnival Time" (ft. Al "Carnival Time" Johnson)
11. "Attack"
12. "O Côco da Galinha" (ft. Moyseis Marques)
13. "Ash Wednesday Sunrise"

 

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