Noah and the Megafauna are an L.A. based band whose recent album Anthems for a Stateless Nation brings together both gypsy jazz and modern influences. Their sound is stamped with jazz influences that blend into folk flamenco fusion, usually sounded in a minor key. Familiar rock melodies are accompanied by gypsy guitars, passionate vocal phrasing, horns, and a swinging rhythm section. Obvious comparisons to Django Reinhardt will be made, but their musical ethos is also reminiscent of bands like the Dustbowl Revival, Beirut, or Devotchka.
This video for “Liquid Modernity (You Can Never Go Home)” was recently premiered on KCRW Music Blog. It was directed by Travis Knight and features the muted colors and choreography of a bygone era. Anthems for a Stateless Nation is a concept album that succeeds at communicating the displacement felt underneath the cynicism of the Occupy generation. However, this cabaret for the apocalypse still qualifies as fun cerebral pop. The video represents just that kind of tongue-in-cheek in the face of impending doom.