London’s The Big Mackoofy just released their new single, “Mango and the Spaceman.” Jeff Lucas, Anthony Joseph and Eddie Blindell make music that is perhaps best classified as Cosmic, though the term hardly seems large enough to wrap around this track. Beeps and blurps orbit some spoken word lines taken from jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron’s 1983 release “B-Movie.”
The loops and samples are used to great effect, establishing a trippy landscape for The Big Mackoofy to explore and experiment in, while always tethered to Scott-Heron who acts as our spiritual navigator on this cosmic journey. While slick, digital production and uber-quantized drums can be great, it often runs the risk of sucking the personality out of a song. The Big Mackoofy keep plenty of heart and soul in Mango and the Spaceman with the warm vocalizations of Lucas, Joseph and Blindell, which nicely counter the cold clicks, dings and bells. Organic horns also help ground the piece in a funky 70s pseudo-reality that wouldn’t be out of place in any decade since.
Clocking in at 3:46, The Big Mackoofy succeeds at giving the listener a brief taste of their cosmic offerings, while making them want to come back for seconds (and thirds). I’m looking forward to exploring more of the Big Mackoofy catalog, and also would like to revisit some more of Gil Scott-Heron’s work.
