Fall Platters

Luxurious full-length debut from Austin "boogie/modern funk" outfit the Vapor Caves – vocalist Yadira Brown (Keeper, 10yr, Lax) and producer BoomBaptist (Andrew Thaggard) – Feel Yourself carries on with a devilish wink, a crooked smile, and delicious basslines. Taking inspiration from Seventies/Eighties proto electro-funk acts Roger Troutman and Zapp, Mtume, and Slave, Thaggard employs his predecessors' high notes without becoming a carbon copy. In fact, over the pitch-perfect 27-minute run time, Brown's candied vocals and Thaggard's mixture of live bass and programming kinetics put the Caves directly into the quality, tone, and essence of the era. The midtempo "Hurry Up and Wait" holds up with its infectious grooves. The skit "OLFKTOL™" is a hilarious highlight, hitting home on their meta-DIY marketing for the album. The best offering falls to the effortlessly fun "Be the Light," which speeds up the memorable riff from Eddie Kendricks' classic track "Intimate Friends" into a stone-cold jam.