There’s a lot of music to shift through these days. Too much, for sure. While it’s easy to get lost in all the buzzy releases from flavor of the month types, there are many great records that come out that just don’t seem to be getting the attention and praise that they truly deserve. Unfortunately, it happens. But when we find these releases, they become that much more exciting to share. Today, I want to share one of those releases that may have slipped by your radar. It’s a debut album called Gist Is from a band called Adult Jazz.
They’re a quartet out of the U.K., and they’ve creating a stunning first release that has captured my attention in a way that’s different from any other record I’ve heard this year. From the harrowing seven-minute opening of “Hum”, the tone is set. It’s a spiritual odyssey that sounds like more experimental version of Sigur Ros. They turn the page with “Am Gone”, a song with the texture of Grizzly Bear, with vocalist Harry Burgess providing memorable vocals work while Animal Collective-inspired harmonies back him up.
The record has a tremendous flow to it, seen in the flawless transition seen between “Am Gone” and “Springful.” So smooth that you may mistake them for being one song if you’re not paying careful enough attention. Pay attention you must, as this is the sort of record that demands your full attention. It earns it. There isn’t a traditional structure to their songs, but rather packed in layers of sound that are carefully maintained, and developed. In that aspect, there are some Dirty Projectors comparisons that could be made.
The way that the band take one idea, and shift to the next is done with expert precision and execution. On “Springful,” they work with so many different ideas within its five-minute lifespan, but are able to drive into it fully while eventually finding a way to work back into the original rhythm that started it all. Take the Panda Bear/Yeasayer beat that starts off “Idiot Mantra” which explodes into a genre-free explosion that fully absorbs you as you try and pick just one detail to obsess over.
Gist Is is the sort of record that you’ll be able to return to throughout the year and be able to look at from an entirely new perspective. Not one song will sound the same over time. A certain texture or idea will play heavier than another, giving you an all new look. There’s something refreshing about a band refusing to stick to conventional means, willing to push the boundaries to their full limits. The pay-off is one of the most extraordinary releases of the year.
Gist Is is out now via Spare Thought.
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