Anti-

Carnivale Electricos is an ambitious, frenetic expression of a wildly talented band’s tireless sense of musical and cultural wanderlust. Setting out with an eager sense of thematic inspiration and a star-studded bunch of friends who worked for New Orleans’ finest rhythm section on the MC-heavy From the Corner to the Block and 2010’s Ya-Ka-May, this time, the experiment goes global to deliver the group’s most unique and challenging record to date. The guest-heavy, cultural joyride takes the listener through the Carnival musical traditions of New Orleans ( “Karate” ) and Brazil ( “Magalenha” ), while stylistically meshing the two traditions throughout. Bombastic Samba grooves resonate beneath the syncopated electro-funk ruckus that Galactic has become synonymous with. Guests like Moyseis Marques, Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, Mannie Fresh and Mystikal offer the sounds of a Carnival party from a multitude of differing perspectives, but the standout guest spot comes when the band grasps the Afro-Orleanian sound that they’ve embraced in their past. “Out in the Street” may just be an instant New Orleans classic, a Slyleaner sing-along featuring Cyril and Ivan Neville marked by an anthemic Fat Tuesday morning proclamation: “Ain’t no time to sleep/ Gotta get out in the street.” Fittingly, a slowburning, gospel stomp-and-clap instrumental lets the collective party exhale on the album-closing “Ash Wednesday Sunrise.”