Sensible Shoes

LED BIB: Sensible Shoes
Cuneiform, 2009

AVANT JAZZ ROCK – The 4th disc by this British quintet (and first available outside the U.K.) gets loud and manic, gleefully bubbling up from simple intros to squealing sax skronk and psychedelic keyboard flip-outs, while the rhythm goes from soft padding to slash & burn destruction. Weirdo jazz for people who don’t think they like weirdo jazz, a little like The Bad Plus, only more varied (and often more fun).

* * * * | Fo’s Picks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8

1. 4:57 – quiet intro, then furious chugging, abstract breaks, goofy marches
2. 7:16 – little riffs build up into a chugging groove; keyboard freakout, sax wail
3. 7:10 – gloomy start, twice grows into a white-hot glow, twice fades away
4. 5:20 – wacky skronk-stomp, settles into a funky walk, then a zombie march
5. 6:08 – slow moody weirdness, very quiet and spacious, slightly disoriented
6. 7:07 – uptempo start-stop avant-funky freakout, takes several sharp turns
7. 7:17 – slow & melancholy: intensity builds, suddenly evaporates, repeats
8. 4:52 – bizarre uptempo romp ‘n’ stomp with stripped-down rolling breaks
9. 9:05 – slouching feel: perky tick-tock break into trudging improv, calm space

[ Fo ] 07/05/09