·October 22, 2021·3 min read

Midcentury Llama – Midcentury Llama | Everything Good

Midcentury Llama is a five-piece jazz band from Chicago. Starting off as childhood friends, Sam Orkent, Eric Gantner, and Frank O’Meara explored their musical prowess when the trio had reunited in Chicago. After adding the talented guitar and vocals of Sam Macduffie and Nick Witek (respectively), the trio became a quintet. The jazz outfit has just dropped their debut album entitled Midcentury Llama. Spanning a little over half an hour, and with 7 songs, the album showcases some brilliant music by the lads.

Kicking off the album is Stranger; a snazzy track that features heavy use of the saxophone, a piano that rocks those blues scales, a drum kit that keeps things interesting and vocals that melt your soul. I find the distortion of vocals at points during the track remind me of Damon Albarn’s work with Gorillaz. The whole track reads like a masterful usage of the Jazz technique. We move into Meet Yout Ghost, a much slower track that switches to a more Romantic feeling. this track reminds me of The Allman Brothers Band and Simon & Garfunkle. The vocal harmonies power through the track along with a smooth guitar. The drums and saxophone kick in and raise the track to an upbeat rhythm.

Oh Love has a more Bluegrass feeling to it. It has a brilliant swing to it, creating a nice dance number. I can’t help but point out the brilliant harmonies. Midcentury Llama is such a tight band, and this track shows us why they’re here to stay. I really enjoy how Oh Love sounds like something off of The Beach Boys‘ discography. Everything about this track is so magnificently mixed in. The ability to move between genres is a tricky one, but glorious, if you can do it as well as Midcentury Llama.

Moving into Layla, the Beach Boys vibe continues to linger on with harmonious vocals at the front with a minimalistic piano. The saxophone cuts in for licks that make you think that’s sick as heck! It is, in every sense of the word, a toe-tapper. I can easily picture myself relaxing with Layla playing in the background. Additionally, the track has this John Mayer-like quality that keeps the groove going. The drums really keep you going, but it’s not the drums alone, it’s literally everything.

Look To You has a different, more Post Rock kind of vibe going for it. I love the guitar work, it sounds hauntingly sweet. It almost overpowers everything else but gives enough spotlight for the saxophone and vocals to creep through the mix. The drums are at their best in this track. Midcentury Llama can really be proud of this track. It stands as a track that could easily have done as well as a single but fits so beautifully into the album. It picks things up, and I love how Midcentury Llama uses the dynamics in this track. As soon as we break into the refrain, you are lit up with this sense of delight.

Charlie From Chicago seems almost autobiographical. It sounds like the track that tells the story of Midcentury Llama. However, it doesn’t deviate from the band’s truth. In a way, this could be the most Midcentury Llama track that they produced. With that said, it is a magnificent track that encompasses a myriad of events in the story. The track sounds unlike anything we’ve heard before from the Chicago outfit. It goes a little bit more aggressively than the rest of the album but reminds me of Pinball Wizard by The Who for some reason.

We end the album on I Get Confused, a track that brings back the swing and groove that Midcentury Llama has established. The harmonies are a little more sombre, but when you hear them they hit you hard. I love the vocalisations in addition to the brilliant instrumental backing. Midcentury really knows how to create a story and sound to follow.

I highly recommend listening to this Chicago-based quintet if you’re a fan of good music, in general. Don’t just take my word for it, listen to it for yourself!