Decifunk's new album packs a punch

One of the best things about living in Boston is often one's access to the New England music scene, though digging the gems out of the multitude of local bands often proves to be a headache. Decifunk, a ten-member funk band that enjoys experimenting with near-jazz and rock styles, is truly a diamond in the Beantown rough.

The band got its start in a local club two years ago and has not looked back since, playing in such popular music houses as the Middle East Caf?© in Cambridge.

Featuring Steve Kim and Mark Noseworthy on guitar, Kenny Cascioli on bass, Mikie Martel on trumpet, Casey Soward on trombone, Jared Obstfeld on saxophone, Todd Budich on drums, Matt Margeson on keyboard, and June Delight and Jesse Dee on vocals, Decifunk packs a powerful lineup behind its experimentation with funk and soul numbers. Their newest CD, titled Open Your Eyes, is a varied collection put out by Squeeze Box Records that pulls influences from all over the musical spectrum.

The collection opens with Down the Line, an upbeat number introduced by a catchy drum line and a lively trumpet melody. The vocals complement the music well, blending the harmony and backup parts to help build the energy throughout the piece.

Next up is a song titled Hey Na Ney, which transitions back and forth between a lively piece furnished against a moving drum solo and a more relaxed funk with a swing-ish feel. Constantly present is a sense of innovation -- trying something new with the music -- as the group often seems more on the verge of improvisation than most funk groups.

Open Your Eyes is the next selection on the CD, opening with a vocal solo that contributes well to the laid-back feel of the song. The lyrics are catchy and the melody easy, making this a surefire piece to get stuck in the listener's head for hours and hours -- though the speaking break in the middle of the song threatens to turn the piece into the theme song for some afterschool special.

Pretend and Rollercoaster are both slower numbers with steady beats, seeming almost to act as a breather for the collection in between the livelier Getting' Down and Pop the Top, a techno-esque canticle featuring just enough electric sounds to keep it innovative.

La Di Da opens with a scat-cat vocal solo from where it takes its name and develops into an energetic rap piece against a funk background, trimmed with the nonsense solos reminiscent of early vocal jazz. The Cure is a much more freestyle number, starting with a poetic reading evolving into almost a musical interpretation of the poem, showcasing the group's instrumental and vocal talents at their finest. Truly one of the highlights of the album, The Cure transitions quietly into Indebt, a more classic funk song that acts as a final cap to the collection.

Overall, the CD offers a nice break from the usual; Decifunk's musical talent is obvious both in its choice of instruments and its vocals. The band's innovation is refreshing, especially in the age of canned solos that proliferate throughout the music industry. Its musical tastes seem to come from all over the charts, ranging from the typical funk and rock to rap and more classical jazz. Its constant energy and almost always successful experimentation brings a sense of overarching purpose to the album and helps to hold it together through the wilder phases. Decifunk is a band worth a second look, and fans of all sorts of music should find it enjoyable.