Flea and Damon Albarn in New Super-Group

A new super-group quietly made its debut in Ireland last month at the Cork Jazz Festival. The group? Rocket Juice and the Moon, an exciting collaboration between Damon Albarn, the mastermind behind Blur and Gorillaz, Flea, the funky bass backbone of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Tony Allen, the seminal Afrobeat drummer who played with Fela Kuti and more recently, with Albarn in The Good, The Bad and The Queen.

According to The Telegraph, the group came together because of a shared love of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti’s music. While the influence of the African-funk grooves is certainly present in the music, especially with Allen’s drumming, the group takes on a sound that only could be produced by a band with this trio at its core.

Flea provides a plucky melodic funk low end while Allen’s Afrobeat roots shine through driving beats. Albarn as usual shines on piano and melodica. Performing with guests providing on horns and vocals, the eight songs the band has on its website and YouTube channel are an accessible, groove-heavy tapestry of psychedelic, funky pop songs reminiscent of decades gone by. Check them out for yourself! The band plans to release an album in 2012.