Mystery Lights – Too Many Girls

Just like the stock market, you need to diversify your portfolio. Daptone Records are doing just that. Their different funk and soul imprints eventually shot into releases by a reggae band, and now they’ve added a garage rock band to their expanding stable. Enter Mystery Lights and a new label Wick. It makes sense if you think about it. Having cornered the market with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, they’ve used some forward thinking to compete with other similar labels who have put out garage/ psych rock with bands like Thee Oh Sees and The Step Kids among others. The label linked up with these gritty, soulful NYC rockers, who previously had an EP and a cassette available independently. For the first release on the label, they chose these lo-fi cats to kick it off with the 45 “Too Many Girls”. This is a different direction for Daptone, but in our opinion needed to keep up with the musical needs of audiences today. There are many out there not exposed to this genre, and while most Daptone enthusiasts have a discerning ear for funk and soul, garage rock (or call it modern rock if you want to, we think it’s got a garage sound) is a logical progression. It’s cool to see them thinking outside the funk and soul box and trying something new. The two tracks were recorded on to 8 track tape by Wayne Gordon, JJ Golden, and Bosco Mann. A lot of artists have layed down tracks at The House of Soul, add some new rock to the fold with Mystery Lights. Check out both sides of the inaugural 45 on the Wick imprint recorded on Troutman Street in Brooklyn.