Get Hustle

Get Hustle is a darkly discordant Portland-based outfit that has put out a variety of recordings with various lineups in its nine years. On its second full-length, Rollin' in the Ruins, the band opts for a guitar-free drums/keyboard/vocals format. The result is somewhat sinister goth-prog, with bluesy chanteuse Valentine Falcon slathering her neo-soul histrionics over keyboardist Mac Mann's overdriven organ/sci-fi sound effects and drummer Maxamillion Avila's first-rate polyrhythms and tribal stomp. There's a '60s/'70s retro vibe here, with whiffs of stuff like the Doors and Janis Joplin, as well as diabolical vocalist Diamanda Galas, organ maestro Mr. Quintron and New York minimalist duo Suicide. With only six tracks spanning half an hour, Rollin' in the Ruins feels a little spare; after five solid songs of moderate length, it ends with a slithering, 14-minute, black-light bong-out reprise of track two, "Revolution Van." Sultry and strange, the song is a fun listen the first couple of times but not really on a par with the first half of the CD.