Ghostcar

Blending some of the finest players from some of North Texas’ most formidable — and departed — bands, Ghostcar is an achievement of out-of-the-box experimentation. The group dabbles in body-moving groove as well as Latin rock, jazz fusion, 4/4-drumming, and Chicago noise (see Touch & Go Records). Players piggyback on one another’s riffage, creating a sound more akin to the progressive movement that began in the ’70s than anything from the scatterbrained oughties.

With three albums under its belt, including the heralded debut, Too Strong/Art of Transition, Ghostcar pays homage to the past in the most splendid ways. “Woo” pulls from the bottom-end boogie of vintage Girls Vs. Boys — the bass soars in full flourish and drives home a concentrated beat that has a hallucinogenic vibe. And a track like “Dixie Cup” takes the street language of Willie Lobo and melds it with Blue Note-era Miles Davis — squealing high-pitched brass tones flitter across a canvas of San Francisco-bred Latin fusion rock. All of this aural imagery might be staggering if it didn’t fit together like an electric puzzle.

In a live setting, Ghostcar can more effectively conjure what often sounds like the bastard child of space rock and disco. Seeing the outfit live is like walking through a David Lynch movie.

Ghostcar will be joined on an upcoming show by Fort Worth’s Stumptone, and there’s no doubt that both bands go to the same pharmacist, though Stumptone’s dosages are much less severe. Like a long ride through the desert in a muscle van, Stumptone may get you stoned without throwing any rawks. It’s still all good.

Fri at The Cavern, 1914 Greenville Av, Dallas. 214-828-1914.