I have liked this band ever since they came out. Saw them at Lollapalooza in Chicago years ago. Very good. The guitarist Mike Einziger is a genious. Mike actually played "Mountain Song" with Jane's Addiction during that show. Very great. As a guitar player myself I am amazed at what he can do. He writes very interesting guitar riffs, Brandon can sing his ass off around that (and play djembe), the ex Roots bassist holds it down, the dj scratches some nice Brandon vocals, and the drummer mixes between funk/latino/dnb and rock.
All of their stuff is good, but I'd say start with their new album "Light Grenades" if you have to start somewhere.
Saul is 100% poet and neo-futurist. He embodies the political unrest in this country while hooking up with today's electronic scene (new album was produced by Trent Reznor). He is not quite my ideal singer but he has a weird/great hard punk voice he is working. The weirdest thing about seeing this show below was that Saul was a mind-blowing vocalist to the point where I didn't think he could even sing. But that was real punk. Plus he handed out fake feathers for everyone to use during the show. This was a great show and attracted a very eclectic crowd. Pick up his new album "Niggy Tardust" off his site. It costs you whatever you really want. This clip is also great because the guitar player's strap pops off at about 46 seconds in. He definitely had to retune, but no one notices except the band.
I was lucky enough to get to study with Chris Wood about a month ago when I was accepted in Medeski, Martin, and Wood's music camp in the Catskill Mountains. He is by far the best bass player I have ever seen in front of my eyes. He is very studied and very cool and was able to drop a huge bomb on us musicians in describing his life in music. He helped me to learn my guitar up and down, backwards and forwards, and as a gorgeous instrument. The bass is close enough to the guitar for me to get "it", plus I also play bass and got "it".
Chris started his master class delving in to how our left brain dictates all of the bad energy when you improvise live. And how it makes us feel guilty or imperfect at the same time. He played this video and it amazed everyone present to see it. Everyone I have sent this to has also been likewise amazed. This site Ted also has the most intelligent people on the planet talking about the deepest issues of today's times. I highly recommend playing around in Ted. Kurzweil also has a brilliant talk. Enjoy.
Besides playing in my favorite modern jazz fusion band, Chris also just sings and plays bass with his brother in a totally different band. The Wood Brothers. I am really hooked on this band and am not quite sure why. Deep blues, country, and pop that I wouldn't think would work that well. It's just a great singer-song writer setup. But this family is genious. This song "Luckiest Man" below has quickly become my most favorite thing to hear. I am also taking singing classes that make you bring a song to class to work on. And I brought "Luckiest Man". It has beautiful harmony and rocking bass. I can't talk highly enough of Chris, and love that he is doing something completely different. Check him out in either band if you ever have the chance.
And here is one more gem from that live show....
And here is one more clip of Chris in his original band MMW, soloing to Ray Charles "What'd I Say"...