While the band’s name may imply a dirty, dirty funk, this quartet’s debut album achieves a more glossy type of sound, which nonetheless succeeds in its funky uniqueness. Take the bouncy silliness of Bootsy-inspired P-funk vocal raps, add a healthy dose of robotic, Afrika Bambaataa-influenced synths and vocal modulators, throw on top the soulful R & B vocals of the female trio the Future Drops, and you end up with a unique sound which works on most levels. The album works best when the electronics take a more atmospheric back seat to the band’s instruments and the fantastic female vocalists. The sound sometimes falls flat when the nifty, though sterile-sounding computer effects are leaned on too heavily, taking away from the song itself and clashing unnaturally with the vocals. Also, the persistent P-Funkish chants and raps, which include uncomfortable falsetto, can get drawn out and tired, though the incredible Future Drops redeem the vocals completely. As was the case with P-Funk, the melodic sense is sometimes lacking, though bass player Bru Bruser’s songwriting shines throughout, with lots of inspired anti-Bush lyrics.

The band can definitely groove, and they are at their peak when they are pulsating and bouncing along to each other. They can morph this groove in different ways, and though “Tha Plumma” sounds just like what a P-Funk/Afrika Bambaataa collaboration would be, they can switch it up and sound like Medeski, Martin and Wood, as on the tight organ groove “Franky.” The rest of the time, they mostly sound like N’Stankt, which is a good thing. The band has succeeded in paying homage to their influences, while at the same time creating a new and exiting sound to call their own. This is something that not many bands these days can claim, and it puts N’Stankt in a promising position.