Hedvig Mollestad Weejuns - Weejuns

November 8, 2023

Label: Rune Grammofon, 2023

Personnel - Hedvig Mollestad: guitar; Ståle Storløkken: Hammond organ, synths, continuum; Ole Mofjell: drums.

Weejuns is the product of a productive collaboration between Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad, keyboardist Ståle Storløkken, and drummer Ole Mofjell. In this improvised session, experimental ambient segments provide a platform for bold metal-inclined forays that gradually merge in a control manner. The potential for creative expression is vast, and the music, far from feeling one-dimensional, becomes increasingly audacious as it unfolds. The trio fearlessly embraces atonal elements, allowing their notes and timbres to mingle and intersect. Those familiar with Mollestad's work will notice a different approach, especially due to the instrumentation, while her trademark guitar sound remains consistent.

On “Go at Your Peril”, they cook up a tense, bluesy rock stew with limited motion and explorative activity. Unison arpeggiated lines signal a shift in intensity, announcing the forthcoming improvisation. “Come Monday” takes a more spectral approach, with both dial and vibing electronic sounds, while Mofjell’s drumming reverberates in the background. It’s a well-ventilated experiment, though not as accessible as the subsequent piece, “Hug That Tree”. The latter, assembled from various components, starts with refracted drums responding to codified synth patches and irregular streams of shattering guitar. Multiple frequencies create a psychedelic effect before an odd-metered guitar riff emerges, underpinning sinewy keyboard layouts. The texture undergoes changes, and the roles are reversed when the synth bassline holds the groove for a ferocious guitar improvisation.

“I’ll Give You Twenty One” introduces ominous clouds, reflecting the trio's somber side through persistent drones and languid, sustained tones. Later, cyclic riffery takes on a groovy form. “Stay at Your Peril” immerses the listeners in a state of ambiguity and contemplation before transitioning to a jazzier atmosphere that segues into a seven-beat arpeggiated chord progression. Muscular drumming and the keyboard’s lower notes infuse a rock sensibility by the end. The album concludes with the Satriani-like “Pity the City”, a more emotional and polished piece with an asymmetric time signature {8+9}. The bars are subsequently equipoised for the guitar solo.

Weejuns haunts from the first note to the last but may require time for its alternation of precise and open moves be fully absorbed. While not as explosive and immediate as Ekhidna (2020) and Tempest Revisited (2021), it’s more risk-taking and ruminative. There’s more to delve into, but it already comes with the stamp ‘recommended’.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - Hug That Tree ► 05 - Stay at Your Peril ► 06 - Pity the City

Mendoza Hoff Revels - Echolocation

October 6, 2023

Label: AUM Fidelity, 2023

Personnel - Ava Mendoza: electric guitar; James Brandon Lewis: tenor saxophone; Devin Hoff: electric bass; Ches Smith: drums.

What an electrifying outing this is! Echolocation features a stellar quartet of impulsive musical adventurers co-led by guitarist Ava Mendoza and bassist Devin Hoff, who share compositional duties and sign four pieces each. Rounding out the group are the acclaimed saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and the multi-faceted drummer Ches Smith. The music - unflagging creative jazz with a post-punk ethos - slashes like a stiletto, demonstrating their fearlessness in experimenting with new concepts and blending genres with forward-looking vision.

“Dyscalculia” boasts overwhelming power at its core, borrowing from heavy metal. Penned by Hoff and inspired by numbers dancing in his head, this piece progresses in five and features probing bass lines with enough rock groove to pique your ears. Lewis’ saxophone rides are authoritative, flanked by ferocious guitar washes and supported by a mesh of fired-up drum attacks.

Two other standouts from Hoff are “Babel-17”, a mercurial prog-rock catharsis with defiant punk attitude and polyrhythmic smarts, and “The Stumble”, an odd-metered experimental blues with a suggestive Afrobeat tapestry woven by Smith. Hoff nurtures the intro and also solos distinctively.

Mendoza’s compositions don’t lag behind. “Echolocation” piques our curiosity with a spaced-out guitar intro before straddling between noise, indie rock and spiritual jazz. There’s a cyclic harmonic sequence over which Lewis’ improv becomes fervent, while Mendoza, more melodic, employs long sustains.

If ‘Interwhining” feels like a danceable funk rock exercise - fans of Red Hot Chili Peppers can enjoy heavier atmospheres on this one - that also swings rebelliously before going wild, then “Diablada”, inspired by a Bolivian carnival folk dance, brings an exotic theme to the table. The group crosses frontiers with amplified saturation, and guitar interjections work as an energetic foil for volcanic saxophone eruptions. All of it runs on top of muscular, exuberant grooves provided by Hoff and Smith. Yes, it’s heavy listening with thick densities, but I bet you’ll be asking for more. I want more!

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Echolocation ► 04 - Babel-17 ► 06 - Diablada

The End - Why Do You Mourn

June 29, 2023

Label: Trost Records, 2023

Personnel - Sofia Jernberg: voice; Mats Gustafsson: baritone saxophone, flutes, electronics; Kjetil Møster: clarinet, tenor saxophone, electronics; Anders Hana: baritone and bass guitars, langeleik; Børge Fjordheim: drums.

The apocalyptic North European post-jazz-rock outfit, The End, released its third album, Why Do You Mourn, a collection of seven eerie contemporary pieces that fuse dark and mystic sounds with style-defying personality.

“Snow” inaugurates this peculiar excursion with a gloomy, suspenseful underpinning empowered by Anders Hana’s nebulous baritone guitar. The gnarly vocals of Sofia Jernberg and the saxophones of Mats Gustafsson and Kjetil Møster go nearly arm in arm; the scintillating drum work of Børge Fjordheim adopts a phlegmatic talkative vein at this point, becoming more ferocious over the following 12-bar heavy-rock vamp that sustains a clamorous tenor solo. After a sudden break, we wake up in another sonic world via a calm folk-infused passage driven by langeleik, a droned Norwegian zither. This gives the piece a sort of medieval, Eastern-tinged quality.

“Doomfunk MCs” is pelted with blasts of baritone guitar, saxophone multiphonics, atmospheric electronics, and petrifying horror-induced vocals. Despite the darkness, it will take you to a serenely composed landscape at the end. Totally divergent, “Winter Doesn’t End” comes immersed in world music erudition with langeleik and flute at the center.

“Wasted Blame” takes the form of an elliptical dance with noise guitar at the base and enthusiastic horn unisons atop. Jernberg’s vocals arrive by the end, accompanied by wailful baritone sax winds. On occasion, the saxophonists steal the show, but the vocalist excels on “Whose Face”, a doom metal anthem in the guise of a common tune with particularly discernible melody and harmony. The drummer displaces the rhythm flow, taking the guitarist with him at some point, and then comes a powerful, agonizing tenor improvisation by Møster.

The album comes to an end with the simmering “Black Vivaldi Sonata”, a surprising incursion into R&B with a menacing guitar drone, disconcerting beat, and multi-layered vocalization. Ending with electronic clatter, this would have given another great funk hit for Prince to sing.

Playful on one side, inexorably severe on the other, The End’s experimentation here don’t surpass those of the previous albums. Yet, if you like your music pummeled with staggering revelations and sinister sensations, then this is a disc you should try.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Snow ► 03 - Wasted Blame ► 05 - Whose Face

Allen Lowe - America: The Rough Cut

April 26, 2023

Label: ESP-Disk, 2023

Personnel - Allen Lowe: tenor and alto saxophone, guitar (#4,10); Ray Suhy: guitar, banjo (#1-12); Alex Tremblay: bass (#1-12); Kresten Osgood: drums (#1-12). ** On #13 - Roswell Rudd: trombone; Ray Anderson: trombone; Randy Sandke: trumpet; Darius Jones: alto saxophone; Lewis Porter: piano; Jessie Hautala: bass; Jake Millett: electronic drums.**

Allen Lowe is a 68-year-old American saxophonist, guitarist, composer, and music historian who played with saxophonists Julius Hemphill and David Murray, trombonist Roswell Rudd, and clarinetist Don Byron, among others. For this ESP-Disk outing he turned his gaze to American music, spanning different styles within its musical heritage and jazz components. It’s an ever-shifting musical journey made in the company of guitarist Ray Suhy, who is versatile in a panoply of genres (from death metal to prog-rock to jazz), bassist Alex Tremblay, and Danish drummer Kresten Osgood, who worked with Sam Rivers, Paul Bley and John Tchicai.

Probing angular edges, the opening cut - “Damnation” - feels like a punk-jazz-gospel exercise packed with energy, robust solos and loads of fun. “Cheatin’ My Heart” flows amiably with a honky tonk feel marked by Osgood’s rim shots and Suhy’s dulcet chord progression. The third track, “Poor Mourner’s Serenade”, evolves with the sound of sizzling brushes, some crackling Lowe tenor playing and an apt accompaniment by bass and guitar. The theme is expressed in consonance.

Lowe dives headfirst into the American roots, used as a vehicle for his expression on several occasions in the form of pre-blues and blues (“Cold Was the Night Dark Was the Ground” and “Blues for Unprepared Guitarist”, both with Lowe on the acoustic guitar; “Full Moon Moan”; “Blues in Shreds”, which comes saturated in fuzz-toned guitar), and rag (“Old Country Rag”, with the banjo giving it the expected rustic shape).

Written for Allen’s wife, “Hymn for Her” is a pure jazz song that draws from tradition, whereas “It’s the End” contains a turbulent prog-rock excursion with a swinging carpet as support. Conversely, “Metallic Taste” is literal in the title, offering loud heavy metal roar in a jam-like manner. The album concludes with “At a Baptist Meeting”, a piece recorded in 2014 with a mighty horn section. Its avant-garde jazz epicenter burns with sounds that take us to Ornette Coleman, Charles Mingus and Sun Ra.

Depending on how much of a jazz purist you are will give you a reason to debate the place of this record in Lowe’s catalogue. Concurrently, the saxophonist released In The Dark, a three-disc set created for and with his Constant Sorrow Orchestra that justifies a good listening time.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Damnation ► 02 - Cheatin’ My Heart ► 13 - At a Baptist Meeting

Dan Weiss Starebaby - Natural Selection

October 15, 2020

Label: Pi Recordings, 2020

Personnel - Matt Mitchell: piano, Prophet-6; Craig Taborn: piano, Fender Rhodes, synth; Ben Monder: guitar; Trevor Dunn: electric bass; Dan Weiss: drums, tabla, piano.

Accomplished drummer Dan Weiss quickly gained notoriety among fellow colleagues due to a tremendous versatility, musical taste and advanced technique. The second installment of his Starebaby project - an idiosyncratic blend of David Lynch’s Twin Peak’s mystery and progressive metal with suggestions of post-apocalyptic electronica - is called Natural Selection, and its tracks are deeply connected to the ones presented in the previous album by acting as tulpas (beings or objects created through spiritual or mental powers).

As an illustration, “Episode 18”, which kicks in with fast guitar licks on top a rugged texture, is a tulpa of “Episode 8”. During the start-up phase, we have abrasive surfaces that later morph into more melodic and atmospheric passages conducted by expressive cymbal texture. Some psychedelia pops up, emanated from the synths operated by Craig Taborn and Matt Mitchell. And then, there's an arcane, gothic-style doom-metal aesthetic anticipating the visceral mass of distortion and feedback placed atop the fast attacks and booming bass lines delivered by Weiss and Trevor Dunn, respectively. Virtuoso guitarist Ben Monder oozes out a violently toxic solo by the end.

A change of mood is proposed with “Dawn”, whose languid beat and folk innuendo allow the group to set one foot on the contemporary and another on the medieval milieus. Things are muscled up a bit from the tune’s midpoint on, yet, Monder opts to set an ethereal lyricism against the cyclic harmonic progression that moves toward the ending.

“The Long Diagonal” offers rhythmic stability but only after a sluggish guitar ostinato collides with a more expedite synth figure. The keyboardist continues to connect that ostinato, yet a Latin-flavored vibe soon exudes from his right-hand routines. Ratcheting up the intensity level, Weiss brings the talkative drums to the fore, while the odd-metered prog-rock mechanisms trigger guitar spasms and then an extraordinary piano solo that, most likely, is the closest to jazz you can get on this album (“Acinna” is another competitor in this aspect). “A Taste of Memory” has its meditative intro built with the help of piano and sustained synth chords. Dark and heavy textures erupt, but the keyboardist still finds room for his perpetual rumination.

The drummer's kinetic propulsions on “Bridge of Trust” would pass for a samba if it weren’t for the dismal harmonies and foreboding melodies that run across them.

With this project, Weiss has the willingness to evoke, but also to experiment in dazzling fashion. One must admit they do it wholeheartedly.

Favorite Tracks:
03 - The Long Diagonal ► 04 - A Taste of Memory ► 07 - Acinna

Hedvig Mollestad - Ekhidna

July 22, 2020

Label: Rune Grammofon, 2020

Personnel - Hedvig Mollestad: guitar; Susana Santos Silva: trumpet; Erland Slettevoll: keyboards; Marte Eberson: keyboards; Ole Mufjell: percussion; Torstein Lofthus: drums.

After yielding considerable attention with five trio outings, the dauntless Norwegian guitarist Hedvig Mollestad, an advocate of prog-rock and jazz-metal aesthetics, digs into six originals with a lot to like. Here she leads an investigative bass-less sextet with two keyboardists - Erland Slettevoll and Marte Eberson - and two percussionists - Ole Mufjell and drummer Torstein Lofthus, who find no problem handling muscular rhythmic grids. Rounding out the group is the inventive Portuguese trumpeter Susana Santos Silva, whose improvisational prowess stands out in a couple of tracks.

Her trumpet is clearly heard on the less-than-two-minute opener “No Friends But The Mountains”, a meditation whose composure is not devoid of an intriguing sense of restlessness.

The abrasive guitar riff and vigorous rhythm inculcated in “A Stones Throw” can be compared to Pantera's “Cowboys From Hell”, even if they feel cooler in tone. This prog-metal section, fully charged with high-voltage currents, morphs into a more melodic passage - slow-paced and rich in texture - where the influence of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon is irrefutable. Moments later, the group goes berserk again, stimulated by nervy synth explorations and a coercive driving force that hit us hard, attracting everything into its spinning vortex.

Lacing luxurious sonic landscapes reminiscent of Yes with the heavy-duty textures of Tool, “Antilone” is another conspicuous example of tremendous robustness. Mollestad brings in strident guitar looping, hefty riffing, fleshy power chords, and a shredding solo initially underpinned by pure percussion. That's before things get cathartic with rock-solid drumming and synth washes.

Compared to the previously described piece, “Sightly Lighter” feels like a plume, shaping as an atmospheric synth-guitar ballad, while “One Leaf Left” starts as a modal ambient reflection with subtle gradations, becoming weightier as it advances toward the fierce final shout. However, its ending is not as dark or concentrated as “Ekhidna”, a volatile procedure that alternates heavy patterns, anthemic rock momentum with fair doses of melodicism, and avant-prog texture. Silva contributes to the melodic consistency, but later leaps forward to discharge a cleverly intoned statement infested with throbbing syllabic rhythms over rich percussive playing. The final keyboard solo is absolutely stunning.

Ready to conquer the scene with refreshing, powerful music, Mollestad deserves all the attention she can get. And she damn rocks!

Favorite Tracks:
02 - A Stones Throw ► 03 - Antilone ► 05 - Ekhidna

Dan Weiss - Starebaby

April 2, 2018

Label: Pi Recordings, 2018

Personnel - Craig Taborn: keyboards, piano; Matt Mitchell: keyboards, piano; Ben Monder: guitar; Trevor Dunn: bass; Dan Weiss: drums.

Those who are familiar with the work of American drummer Dan Weiss, a praised bandleader and sought-after sideman, will agree that openness, big ears, and versatility are vital elements of his business.

His new album, Starebaby, it’s an unheard blend of heavy metal, electronic inspirations, Twin Peaks eerie moods, and a dash of jazz. The outcome is an unparalleled dark symphony filled with both mercurial meters and ethereal passages. The orchestration was made with ubiquitous presences in the New York jazz scene such as keyboardists Craig Taborn and Matt Mitchell, guitarist Ben Monder, and bassist Trevor Dunn, who, sharing the same taste of rugged sounds, captured Weiss’ compositional spirit with attitude, turning possible a project that was envisioned ten years ago.

The opening track, “A Puncher’s Chance”, starts off with electro-acoustic guitar sounds in a sheer classical moment, but soon bursts into a powerful alternative rock mode created by dirty keyboard sounds, well-fixed bass notes, and powerful drumming. After a middle passage designed for dreamlike piano and wrapped in a smoky effect, the band reinstates that monolithic riff over a gush of energetic rock.

“Depredation” kicks off with a dragging pulse, sustained synth chords, agitated guitar, and sparse bass activity. It mutates to a vehement synth-metal intoxicated by trashy power chords, trance-like electronic vibes, and a scalding guitar solo that causes trepidation.

The quintet plunges into reflectiveness on “The Memory of My Memory”, but that initially gracious if mysterious state morphs into a snarling toil firmly planted in doom metal. Weiss’ dried spanks on snare and tom-toms grow in fierceness and the tenebrous atmosphere, somewhere between Anathema and Paradise Lost, also encapsulates Monder’s brief solo.

Both “Annica” and “Cry Box” expose piano in their introductory sections. Even non-aggressive, the former brings uneasiness and causes foreboding apprehension through the fatalism of its somber shadows, reminiscing the ways of My Dying Bride. On the latter, the band builds multiple textures with a forthright sense of tempo and attention to detail, passing through a grungy tunnel with electro melodies before achieving peace.

A tribute to the American composer of Twin Peaks, “Badalamenti” has a fluid bass-drums flow underpinning ethereal harmonic incursions and Monder’s heroic guitar mobilizations. Alone, the bandleader packs glorious chops, preparing a virile, odd-metered rock passage that would be an asset in any of David Lynch’s inscrutable thriller films. It all winds up in the contrapuntal electronic wizardry of Taborn and Mitchell.

The influence of contemporary electronic music is particularly strong on “Veiled”, a polyrhythmic epiphany with dramatic piano and shades of Karlheinz Stockhausen, and “Episode 8”, a shape-shifting phenomenon with vivid drumming, whose humoresque trance house melodies oppose to the austerity of a metal that wouldn't embarrass Black Sabbath.

Starebaby proves Weiss as a boundless drummer and unlimited composer. Whether a singular case or not, this 360-degree turn in his career will be a challenge for jazz fans. Love it or hate it, you'll find multiple transfusions of energy invading your body.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - A Puncher’s Chance ► 03 – Annica ► 06 – The Memory of My Memory