Guante And Big Cats “All Dressed Up, No Funeral’ Review / Album Release Show
This is the music I need in my life right now. While I wasn’t so naive that I believed the election of Kamala Harris for president was going to solve all of our problems, Trump’s eventual win has still been a bitter pill to swallow. It’s been tempting for a progressive to find a numb place and just wallow in it for a minute. I needed some bold, strong words to shake me out of my stupor. I needed some hope that the fighters aren’t done fighting yet.
“Despair is for suckers,” raps Kyle “Guante” Myhre in he and Dj/producer Big Cats’ new album All Dressed Up, No Funeral. The duo sounds like they have a lot of fight left in them. The new record is a concept album about the climate crisis, and while it throws around the term “apocalypse” liberally it’s also very much not all doom and gloom. Dropping references to everything from the Bible, to comic books, to Rage Against The Machine lyrics, Guante actually sounds relentlessly optimistic.
A longtime activist, poet, and musician, Myhre has honed his lyricism to a razor edge. And though such a keen edge could make for a formidable weapon, Myhre doesn’t try to eviscerate so much as educate. He’s not focused on the hate-filled right or the hand-wringing left. He’s focused on love, healing, and community and how those are the keys to saving the world.
Throughout All Dressed Up Big Cats’ beats sound every bit like the nationally recognized talent that he’s become, expertly stitching a wide array of samples into a sound that mixes classic boom bap, jazz, and ambient electronica. It’s the palette that serves up and punctuates every hard-hitting rhyme (or as in the case of “What To Say To The Police” totally stands on its own merit).
The funeral has been canceled. If you woke up this morning in dire need of some hope, I’d encourage you to find strength in All Dressed Up, No Funeral. Come out to the Hook & Ladder this Saturday (11/30) to experience it live with a group of other people who need your support. Find strength in community – that’s how we get through this.
Show tickets / Info here
Stream/Order All Dressed Up, No Funeral here or below
