Longtime Portland band Sassparilla has released not one but two albums via Fluff & Gravy Records. A listen to the pair of platters — Pasajero and Hullabaloo — reveals two very different approaches. Pasajero is a studio-driven, atmospheric record with rock flourishes and careful craft; Hullabaloo is rawer, rootsier, and rustier, bearing the traits of the band’s boisterous live show.

Songwriter and front man, Kevin Blackwell, has simple reasons for making two different records, yet packaging them together — to provide fans two distinct experiences: A studio record, and a “come as you are” record. With Hullabaloo, the band left behind a proper studio for Blackwell’s attic. The two albums also showcase the breadth of the Sassparilla experience: one moment beautiful, the other falling down the stairs. Pasajero starts with “Overture,” a saxophone-driven, beat-infused burn with a late-night, blurry-eyed Kerouac sprawl to it. Proclaiming, “If it doesn’t burn, it was never alive.” The band’s infectious groove sets the stage for the rest of this dark, yet melodic collection.

While they may be two completely different records, they compliment each other implicitly. Please have a listen to “What The Devil Don’t Know” from Pasajero below.

[audio:What The Devil Don’t Know.mp3|titles=What The Devil Don’t Know|artists=Sassparilla]
“What The Devil Don’t Know” by Sassparilla