Artist Mahjongg

The slurred, lopsided grooves of Chicago-based Mahjongg might sound disorienting at first, but they reveal a sure pulse and logic on repeat listens. The band’s 2008 K Records full-length, Kontpab, packs mutant funk and jammy polyrhythm into a body-whipping delirium of tribal proportions. Although a little pretentious and longwinded at times, Mahjongg muddles through sloppy hooks and awkward quasi-rhythms in ways that are, somehow, tons of fun. The recently released The Long Shadow Of The Paper Tiger continues down this twisting path: It’s really weird—and addictively so.

Updated 07/13/2010