Coultrain

While his collaborative efforts as a member of Platinum Pied Pipers, and more recently Hawthorne Headhunters, may have brought him a bit more shine over the years, the slow build of Coultrain's conceptual Seymour Liberty solo projects has long kept ardent fans waiting and wondering. On new disc Jungle Mumbo Jumbo, the St. Louis native finally embodies the unrestrained creative adventurism hinted at on those sporadic solo releases, crafting its outer worldly compositions with exploratory melodies and dizzying musical arrangements, each demanding a few spins before fully settling into place. The echoing creaks, chirps and trudging bass tones that form the untamed digital landscape introduced in "Y Not?" shift and expand as the album progresses, with the singer's distinctive voice and lyrics delivering tales of mysterious lovers and the fantastic world they inhabit. While his unconventional melodies do meander, at times, they generally make sense atop the gripping, exotic rhythms of cuts like the marching "Delilah," piercing "Gazelle's Dance" and theatrical "Batouttahell," which are just a few highlights from this exhilarating aural feast.