What i///u has done is translate the in-group language of their friend group—including complex, occasionally abstract chord changes—into something accessible and energizing for those of us in the audience. We’ll have to see what’s next from this Seattle-born crew.
These staggered rhythms are a microcosm of the entire album, for The Grind is nothing if not a study in contrast. With only four instruments, the quartet veers expertly between silence and cacophony, a sonic effect amplified by Treseler’s and Wood’s mirrored playing. Their album press release calls this, “interactive collective improvisation,” or “improvised counterpoint.”
Screen Time is a pleasant reminder that film and television composers, like their Tin Pan Alley precursors, have a splendid ear for chordal movement. On top of that, movie tunes are functional; they’re often based around motifs. Marriott bends these repeated melodies to his will and even invents his own on the thumping original “Skip Intro,” which could slot in after Dave Brubeck’s television hit “Theme from Mr. Broadway.”
Beyond the musicianship, what makes Filthy so noteworthy is how Jazz Overhaul captures the heart and spirit of grunge in their approach while skillfully adding their own dose of jazz to the mix with a touch that harnesses the power of the originals. Their performances overflow with chemistry, and the sessions, available on their YouTube channel, are worth checking out in addition to the album itself.
While perhaps a less common pairing than some, the combination of trumpet and accordion makes perfect sense: the reedy bellowing of the accordion and the smooth brightness of the trumpet provide exceptional balance for each other, and Hou and Larsen play both lead and accompanist in turn, following each other with an organic ease.
Eugenie brims with a rather more endearing confidence. Jones is one hell of a singer, and she’s eager to let you know all about it — savoring every swooning syllable of “Nothing Better’s” ode to new love, or overdubbing her own soaring harmonies on “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” And, buoyed by the top-flight Seattle rhythm section
Topography is a masterful celebration of connection—between musicians, environment, and audience. Pellegrin’s improvisational compositions and talent complement Welch’s earthy, textural approach, resulting in a soundscape that mirrors the spirit of the PNW and offers listeners a meditative escape within the rhythms and beauty of the natural world.
While unabashed in their textural play, ETST makes a grounding gesture by rooting their name in the language of landscape and the album title in the language of crafts. The discipline and experience of each member can be heard in the careful control of mixed-meters and the mutual trust amongst one another that allows each to add their colors to the mix.
If you’re thinking that a solo trombone can’t hold its own on eight tracks spanning up to nine minutes a piece, well, you’d be forgiven. You’d also be wrong. The TANK’s unearthly soundscape fills Clausen’s songs with a lush carpet of harmonic interplay, so rich as to border on the bizarre. (See: Clausen’s take on “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka.) Notes can resonate in The TANK for up to 45 seconds.
Uniformly compelling from the first note to the final fade, every track on Siegel’s latest is a highlight, and each musician has their time to shine. The album kicks off by dialing up the jazz quotient on the first couple of tracks, and “Sabotage,” in particular, with its swinging, Monk-ish outlines, almost evokes a Blue Note album.
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