Label: Out Of Your Head Records, 2026
Personnel - Brandon Seabrook: electric and acoustic guitars, banjo; Bill Frisell: electric and acoustic guitars; Rashaan Carter: bass; Marcus Gilmore: drums.
Shapeshifting guitarist, banjoist, and composer Brandon Seabrook makes a deeply personal homage to the guitar and to the guitarists whose music shaped his artistic voice on his latest album, Utility Modern. According to the bandleader, who collaborates here with one of his heroes and major influences, guitarist Bill Frisell, the music for this album was conceived like composing for four hands on a single guitar. The result is phenomenal, as the palette of colors continues to expand with novelty and nuance. Rounding out the quartet and anchoring the rhythmic foundation are bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Marcus Gilmore. This is the kind of group that can easily push the edges of a composition with uniqueness and modernism.
“Crater for Ascending Angels” is bookended by cascading acoustic guitars before morphing into a chilled-out vibe orchestrated with a percolating rhythm, funky bass lines, and electric guitar passion. Another transition follows before the outro, with the band luxuriating in alternative-rock passages with distortion, elastic bass whims, and a motorik-like throb in support of angular guitar expressionism.
Bringing to mind King Crimson and Emerson, Lake & Palmer in a way, “The Serial Fabulist” first centers on an ostinato and odd-meter cadence that is occasionally interrupted by surprising, enthusiastic acoustic strums. Awesome chiming tones fly from Seabrook’s guitar during his staccato pinprick attacks.
“Star-Crossed Phantasms” is rhythmically focused, a magnetic and progressive contemporary fusion that contains repetitive figures, creative bass splashes, and an off-kilter solo by Seabrook. Gilmore’s impeccable rhythmic motion is key throughout.
While “Once Upon a Time in the Quest” is a 3/4 troubadour song that accelerates and intensifies, “Document and Tapestry” is a brushed downtempo piece with strong emotional resonance. In turn, “Membrane Soundtable” offers folksy banjo over a fabulously funky flip, whereas “The Guitar Is a Weather Event” has many aspects to discover, fueled by an entrancing urgency, productive dialogue, and a deep desire to reach a guitar-centric audience.
The inspired and symbiotic relationship between the two guitarists can be felt throughout, with Seabrook offering tension and jaggedness in opposition to Frisell, who opts for more polished surfaces via his well-known, enchanting Americana instincts. With a totally new perspective and inventive arrangements that make each musician feel significant and quite complete, Utility Modern is a creative achievement.
Favorite Tracks:
01 - Crater For Ascending Angels ► 02 - The Serial Fabulist ► 03 - Star-Crossed Phantasms ► 07 - The Guitar Is a Weather Event