(Cover by David Munkvold) Rabeca - Potluck (self-released) I think it's fairly safe to say that we're all in need of a bit of encouragement right now. Most of us have been stuck inside for at least a week and we miss our friends. The idea of getting together and spending time with each other over a meal sounds like a perfect panacea. Since we can't responsibly do that just yet, might I suggest Potluck ? The debut record from jazz pop quintet Rabeca brings those same feelings rushing back. It's the sound of good company filtered through a prism of springy fusion grooves. One can easily imagine each member of Rabeca constantly smiling through the album's creation process. While it was most certainly meticulously planned and structured, the tunes flow freely in a river of trust. More so than other genres, jazz and its family of subgenres are built on intra-band unity. Melodic lines are tossed between instruments ("Detective Sprout" is a great exampl...

Ah, the split. One of the quintessential underground releases, alongside label compilations and the immortal 7". Two bands, usually sharing a label, put out a few of their latest tracks - enough to take up one side of a record each. Minneapolis comrades Cave Light and Gather Data Pray for Death pursue this noble indie ideal on their split EP Ends . The two bands share the same twisted guitar sensibilities. Notes aren't seen as something to be played; they're threaded together into a rope, tied into the tightest knot possible. Songs shift and shimmer like the sunset on one of Minnesota's 11,842 lakes. No idea overstays its welcome. The math-like randomness that possess these bands is a breath of fresh air. Honestly, we need more bands that are willing to let their songs go over five minutes (and actually fill them with creative music). Gather Data's side haunts with delirious cacophony. "Swelling Over" menaces with a pointed guitar line and practi...