Mystikos Quintet

This Loungey Disc is Crisp Like a Granny Smith

     

Mystikos Quintet has done what a lot of acts can't do -- put together an album that doesn't sound so homemade. The fivesome's jazzy, loungey disc is crisp like a Granny Smith, and its polish helps it stand out among other do-it-yourself releases. Mystikos' groove is relatively straightforward: It takes you to the martini bar and back, winding through funky, horn-laden tracks and then slowing it down a bit for the slippers-on-the-feet nightcap. Lyrics are few and far between; it's clear the emphasis is on the instruments. Highlights for me are the album's bookends, Easy Listening and Zuni. The former betrays its name only in the sense that when I think easy listening, I think Richard Marx. Instead, the song is peppy and groovy, laced with sax, piano and xylophone (a surprisingly comforting combo). The album's ender, on the other hand, is soft and slow, laying a mellow flute over a lazy beat. Other songs of note: Big Fatty, which is fitting background music to some 1970-era espionage; and Last Call, which is drowsy like a lullaby.