Toronto jazz act BADBADNOTGOOD have abandoned the spooky
melodies and pig masks and decided to put on their bow ties and get classy.
The result is one of their brightest and cleanest records to date, loaded with punchy drums, slinky basslines, twinkly mellotrons and a ton
of hot and steamy sax (so hot and steamy you’ll be stripping down to your bath towels
like the boys above). Resident sax player Leland Whitty for one has turned into
a full time member and sax guru Colin Stetson even gets invited to lay down
some noodling on one of the tracks ‘Confessions pt II’. Sax addicts like myself will be in their element.
Sure there are some potholes along the way – Sam Herring’s
shaky soul singer impression on ‘Time Moves Slow’ being one of them – but the bulk
of the album is carried out with elegance and finesse. ‘Speaking Gently’ has
all the sparkle of a chandelier, revolving around a gleaming keyboard riff that
builds into a triumphant climax. ‘Chompy’s Paradise’ meanwhile features some woozy
detuned chords and a matching drunken sax, playing out like the sad breakup scene
to some sixties romance movie (who is Chompy anyhow and why is it his
paradise?).
All in all, the album is calm and sophisticated lounge bar
music of the highest calibre. The only issue is that BADBADNOTGOOD’s appeal has
long relied on them not being a lounge bar jazz act but instead a dark and
dusty gutter jazz group. In cleaning up their production and brightening up
their melodies, they’ve eliminated a lot of what made them edgy and unique to
begin with, on a lot of tracks blending in with the traditional sound of every
other Miles-Davis-tribute-act.
Of course, that isn’t to say this album is entirely boring
and old-fashioned. A few urban guests such as electronic producer Kaytranada
and rapper Mick Jenkins ensure the album still feels trendy and modern. Jazzheads
may certainly appreciate the noodling more (it’s not my cup of tea), but the
band refrain from going full bebop, not getting carried away with studious complexity. My
only hope is that they won’t get any more prim or cheery in the future. And as
gorgeous as the guys look posed topless in towels, pig masks are undeniably much
cooler.
★★★☆☆
TRACK TASTER: