The Constellations - Southern Gothic

I had the fortune of seeing a handful of bands this summer that seemed (god knows why) to be floating just below the radar of both the international music press and the sizeable fanbases they deserve.   I can think of no more deserving band than Atlanta`s own `supergroup` The Constellations whose Southern Gothic is a multi-genre tour de force that reflects lyricists Elijah Jones carefully laced narrative about the lost (or found) hours in one mythical night in Atlanta between the hours of 2 am and 12 pm.   Although both Cee-Lo (Gnarls Barkley, Goodie Mobb) and Asher Roth make appearances on two tracks the entire album is chock a block with highlights.  Reflective as it is of a really strong stable of players spending, undoubtedly too long in the studio, with a master producer Ben H. Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley) it`s hard to point to one track that stands out over another, it just drives forward into a milky white peasoup fog with no care or concern for the set of headlights coming out of the darkness ahead of it.

Here`s a nice live clip from the 99X radio station from last summer (which doesn`t begin to do justice to even their current lineup or the album cut, but gives you dear listener a sense )