Music Reviews: January 2015

The GoGo Suite: Live at the Windup Space Vol. 2
Lafayette Gilchrist Featuring The New Volcanoes (Creative Differences)

Gilchrist, a wildly talented local jazz pianist, has long claimed an affinity with D.C. go-go music. Until now, that influence has mostly been implied. But over the course of these four compositions, Gilchrist more overtly nods to the music as the propulsive drummer Nate Reynolds and a robust horn section match the fury, if not always the form, of go-go.

Sixtape EP
Blacksage (Friends Records)

This six-song cassette is an excellent showcase for vocalist Josephine Olivia Herbst, a promising talent on the local music scene. Backed solely by Drew Scott’s evocative keyboard playing, Herbst conjures the likes of Björk and Billie Holiday on sublimely melancholy songs like “Consuming” and “Powder.” Let’s hope a full-length album is in the works.