Peter and the Wolf: Traffique’s Endless Weekend Mixtape Review
85/100
I was really on board with Kevin Barnes weirdo, electro/funk makeover on the of Montreal album Hissing Fauna, I Am the Destroyer, but have soured on the sound and approach over the bands last two albums. This change of heart has left a hole in my music collection for glammy pop funk written by an androgynous male singer/songwriter. Luckily, the void has been filled by the excellent new album Traffique’s Endless Weekend Mixtape by Austin, TX band Traffique, which is the name of the new band from Peter and the Wolf (aka Red Hunter).
With song titles like “Wanna Get Weird,” “Keep Joshtin Weird,” “New Shooz” and “Yo I think Marvin might be gay,” this isn’t your typical, homespun folk album that Peter and the Wolf have released in the last few years. If the song titles don’t convince you, maybe the fact that Hunter dresses in drag and takes up the character of a woman will help to make the case that this isn’t your daddies folk album. The music is a subtle yet funk infused take on the as always great songwriting from Hunter. Songs like “Bright and Blue” start out with a simple guitar line and vocal before adding in a little fuzz and some good old fashioned glam. In the instances where Barnes is now so self referential and overblown, Hunter finds a way to be understated while still creating a unique and interesting release. For people who haven’t heard Hunter’s work before (which unfortunately is too many people), he has a simple yet powerful songwriting style that allows him to write songs that sound both instantly personal and still hold their weight over time. The great thing is that Hunter’s songwriting is just as solid as a gender bending glam artist as it is as on his excellent folk material.
If you are getting od’d on Kevin Barnes and Of Montreal like I am, but wish you weren’t, Traffiques Endless Weekend Mixtape comes with a strong recommendation. Even as a cross dressing glam singer, Red Hunter proves again that his talent far eclipses his audiences, which is a shame.
-Josh
Endless Weekend Mixtape is out Oct. 26th, with more info available at Red Hunter’s official website
