Celebrated jam-meets-jazztronica band Papadosio returns with ‘To Live A Making’, their ninth studio album. After more than 15 years of writing and performing together, the five-piece ensemble still prioritizes pushing their individual boundaries in playful yet purposeful ways. Transmuting life experience into audible adventure, they have collaboratively brought forth an LP that is consequently informed by their catalog while simultaneously superseding it. The record explores expressive aesthetics from psyche rock to synth wave, offering a tasteful cross-section of combined influence from a group of musicians known for their improvisational skill in the live setting.
This is the work of a mature creative body, with each organ beating in perfect cadence. Rhythm and pulse, held steadfast by drummer Mike Healy, shift smoothly between the familiar to the adventurous. In consonant accord, Rob McConnell’s hefty bass elements give harmonic context to the ever-evolving meter throughout. Brothers Sam and Billy Brouse are oft heard melodically dueling, with Sam’s eloquent vocal chops and keyboard prowess melding pleasingly with Billy’s spacious synthscapes and clever sound design. Apart from his articulate lyrics, Anthony Thogmartin provides diverse guitar stylings ranging from charming to colossal, rounding out a time-tested faction of accomplished composers that is the band Papadosio.
“The album is a story about life: a timely commentary at a pivotal moment in human history that is dedicated to pondering prevailing mainstream cultural narratives. The music aims to inspire notions that life itself is creative, that love is real, and that together we could thrive if only we could tell ourselves the right stories and ask ourselves the right questions.”
- Sam Brouse
