by Michael Endelman

Formerly an enjoyable but unremarkable N’awlins funk act, Galactic reinvent themselves on their fourth full-length, Ruckus. Credit knob-twiddler Dan “The Automater” Nakamura, the producer behind cult favorites like Dr. Octagon and the Gorillaz, for helping the sextet condense its sprawling live sound into 44 minutes of elegantly constructed instrumentals and muscular, modern soul-all coated with a frosty, trip-hop sheen. Galactic’s neoswamp grooves prove the Crescent City sound is no dusty museum piece.