Here's the exclusive premiere of "Space Mosquito," a brand-new track by Los Straitjackets, aka "America's instrumentalists."
"Space Mosquito" is from the band's new guitar-driven album, Jet Set, which will be released August 7 via Yep Roc Records.
You can check out the album's complete track listing below the video.
Jet Set was produced by the band's longtime friend, Janne Haavisto, the former drummer of Finland's Laika & The Cosmonauts. Haavisto put melody at the forefront of this collection of 14 new tracks, and those melodies are backed by an amalgam of sweeping percussion, lush horn arrangements and distorted strings.
“I think it’s remarkable that this far into our career, we could do something that I’d consider our best work," said Los Straitjackets guitarist Eddie Angel (who also happens to be a former GuitarWorld.com blogger).
Jet Set features guest appearances by Jimmy Vivino and The Basic Cable Horns and Finnish actress/musician Irina Bjorklund.
It's been 18 years since Nashville-bred Los Straitjackets first donned their lucha libre masks. Since then, they've toured the universe and elsewhere, released 11 studio albums and two live albums. Guitarist Daddy-O Grande (Danny Amis) was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2010. After he underwent a successful stem cell transplant in 2011, the band played a benefit show for Amis in Los Angeles that featured guest appearances by Conan O’Brien, Johnny Rivers and more. You can check out photos from that show here.
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The good news is Amis' guitar can be heard all over Jet Set!
Keep up with Los Straitjackets via their Facebook page and official website.Los Straitjackets spring tour datesThursday, June 7: World Café Live – Philadelphia, PA Friday, June 8: City Winery – New York, NY Saturday, June 9: The Howard Theater – Washington DC Wednesday June 13: Mercury Lounge – Nashville, TN Thursday, June 14: Cosmic Charlie’s – Lexington, KY Friday, June 15: The Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH Saturday, June 16: The Oilhouse At Festival Park – Johnstown, PAJet Set track listing:01. Crime Scene (Danny Amis) 02. Yeah Yeah Yeah (Amis-Angel-Curry-Townson-Willey) 03. New Siberia (Danny Amis) 04. Aerostar (Eddie Angel) 05. Brooklyn Slide (Townson-Angel-Curry-Willey) 06. Jet Set (Danny Amis) 07. Low Tide (Danny Amis) 08. Walking Down 3d Street (Eddie Angel) 09. Bobsleddin’ (Townson-Angel-Curry-Willey) 10. Wrong Way Inn (Townson-Angel-Curry-Willey) 11. Space Mosquito (Townson-Angel-Curry-Willey) 12. Sardinian Holiday (Danny Amis) 13. Mr. Pink (Angel-Curry-Haavisto-Townson-Willey) 14. Pop Rocks & Coke (Angel-Curry-Townson-Willey) 15. Für Sophia (Eddie Angel)
Damian is Editor-in-Chief of Guitar World magazine. In past lives, he was GW’s managing editor and online managing editor. He's written liner notes for major-label releases, including Stevie Ray Vaughan's 'The Complete Epic Recordings Collection' (Sony Legacy) and has interviewed everyone from Yngwie Malmsteen to Kevin Bacon (with a few memorable Eric Clapton chats thrown into the mix). Damian, a former member of Brooklyn's The Gas House Gorillas, was the sole guitarist in Mister Neutron, a trio that toured the U.S. and released three albums. He now plays in two NYC-area bands.
