LP IMPALA: In The Late Hours (*import*)

Memphis Instrumental Kings – Impala return to the studio to create this brand-new album, aptly titled In the Late Hours. In the Late Hours features ten intoxicating guitar- and sax-driven instrumentals, born out of that golden era of Memphis music when rockabilly, rhythm and blues, jazz, garage and soul music collided. These songs channel potent ghosts—namely, Packy Axton, Willie Mitchell and Ike Turner, all pioneers of Memphis’ instrumental scene—but they’re hardly derivative. They bristle with urgency and make your heart beat fast. They’ll make you wish for a time long past—when men wore hats in the street and women wore silk stockings fastened with a sexy garter belt.

This isn’t retro, or revivalist. This is music created by four men who, had they not found a way to soothe their savage beasts, might’ve met in a juvenile reformatory. It’s tautly restrained, like a homicidal maniac that, until he wields his axe, calmly sips tea or practices taxidermy techniques. It’s music that is a remedy for hard times. Put it on, and let your mind wander. Take refuge in those darker places. Pour yourself another drink. And make sure the door’s locked—it’s later than you think.