Today, Spiritual Warfare and the Greasy Shadows — the project of noted Phoenix-area musician Joel Marquard — share their sophomore album, Ad Hoc, on streaming and for vinyl pressing with Birmingham, AL-based indie label Earth Libraries. They have also included a bonus track, “Thick of It,” as a free download when you purchase the record.
Glide is premiering the album in full (below), a captivating work of world rhythms and off-kilter soul. Through his adventurous work with Dear and the Headlights, Gospel Claws and The Through and Through Gospel Review, Marquard continues to rewrite the rule book on the potential of indie rock and soul.
Marquard created the Spiritual Warfare and the Greasy Shadows project as a way to explore the depths of his eclectic tastes in Golden Era Bollywood, Exotica, Oldies, Punk, and beyond. Drawing upon inspiration from the intricate drum patterns of India, as well as African and Latin hand percussion instruments, he imparted a strict ‘no drum kits, only hand drums’ rule for the project, resulting in the unique sound heard throughout.
“I stumbled upon the box for the Pro Tools software I had installed a couple years before and when I opened it found a disc at the bottom called ‘Loops,'” said Marquard. “I put it in my computer and it contained hundreds of different recorded instruments which were cut in a way that they could easily be looped. Loops like, ‘Neo-Soul Bass’ or ‘R & B Drums O2.’ But, along with those were a bunch of drums from India as well as African and Latin hand drums. From those loops and beats I made, the project was born. I set up a rule. No drum kits. Only hand drums.”
From the opening guttural wail in the first track, “Take It Over,” the album’s unpredictability shines through with sinister choir backing that evokes a spaghetti western hero in peril. Standout tracks like “Angel of Death Donut Shop,” “Volcano Girls,” and “Death Was an Olympic Speedskater” take traditional pop constructs and saturate them in intricate syncopations and twisted melodies, leaving listeners with a feeling of having traveled downriver on an exotic jungle cruise. Marquard’s vocals interweave dark subject matter with moments of whimsy, capturing the dissonance often found in life, in ways that echo throughout the album.
Ad Hoc is out today and, for the first time, is available to purchase on vinyl via Earth Libraries now. Bonus track, “Thick Of It,” is available with purchase.
