Beyond Playlist: Josh Reichmann Oracle Band - Crazy Power

Josh Reichmann Oracle Band
Crazy Power
Paper Bag Records

After a perfectly respectable run as frontman of Toronto artsy punk outfit Tangiers, Josh Reichmann set off on his own last year, surprising fans of his earlier work by reinventing himself as a left-field soul man on the Life is Legal EP. With this year's debut full-length, Crazy Power, the transformation and evolution continue fervently. Not unlike Ian Svenonius's character in Half-Cocked, Reichmann croons, caterwauls and capers like Sly Stone fronting the Stooges. For more contemporary touchstones, look to the weird hinterland that lies between Ghostland Observatory and Jamie Lidell. Funky, punky and just plain quirky, Reichmann and his quintet will have your brain quaking, your body shaking and your soul aching.