This album is the first Rx Bandits album not to feature horns. I know what you’re thinking: ‘what!? RXB without horns?’ Believe it or not it actually adds to that Rx Bandits sound. The lack of horns allows you to focus more on Steve Choi and Matt Embree’s eclectic and energetic guitar rhythms and Embree’s powerful vocal melodies. Let’s not forget about Chris Tsagakis who seems to top himself each and every album. I can say without a doubt this is a contender for the top album of 2009, and regardless of who puts out an album this year, Mandala will not fall out of the top 10. It’s an energetic album that can be enjoyed when you’re pumped up, but also very melodic and well tied-together so you can groove to it after a show. The quality of this album leaves me somewhat speechless and trying to describe it seems pointless. Please go pick up a copy for yourselves so you can hear its’ genius! Initial Thoughts: How do RXB get better every time I hear something by them? Now: I stand by my last.fm account statistic of 170 plays in one week. (That’s more than 9 hours of RXB air time) Yeah, it’s that good. Best Track: Hope Is A Butterfly, No Net It’s Captor… (The Virus Of Silence). It really kicks in at the chorus and it’s been stuck in my head non-stop since I first heard it.

(by Sunny Landon)