Not a lot of people know this about me, but when I was 18 I became a born-again Christian. I fell really deep into my newfound religion, sometimes going to church up to four and five times in a single week. Looking back now, I realize just how much my teenage self was searching for some sort of truth, some meaning to give the world, a path to take. I was desperate to tie down all of my experience, my observation, my sense of what was right and what was wrong to written word. I felt as though I needed a tangible guide for how I should live my life. I was scared of taking the first step into the unknown, scared of beginning to piece together my true self. I took a nosedive into what I thought would be the ultimate truth, hoping to find answers, which were black, white and most importantly absolute. What I got were not answers, but more questions. Questions that kept me searching, pulling at loose thread, watching it unravel as I kept testing, experimenting and improvising a version of the adult which I would eventually become.
Adult Jazz’s debut album Gist Is begins atmospheric and ethereal. Simply stated, it takes us to church. On “Hum,” a slow and steady drone builds anticipation, then the gentle yet powerful voice of Harry Burgess booms in “the minister will heal me.” In what sounds like a choir hymnal, he continues “but I think he’ll do it equally…violently”, his voice comes across as confident, but introspective as he repeats “and should I ask him to?” The tension is suspended in the middle of the envisioned church hall. Meanwhile, the rest of the band is held at bay, eager and waiting to join. One at a time, layers of sound are ushered in. Some tease, jockeying back and forth with Burgess’ vocals, others move in and out in a way that feels independent and yet still complementary. Drums kick in and quickly leave again, a sax warmly croons just after the six minute mark. It is towards the end of the first track we start to understand what this band from Leeds is all about. They have balanced a Dirty Projectors playfulness with a Grizzly Bear thoughtfulness that keeps us hanging on, joining in on the band’s search for resolve through seven minutes of self-reflection.
The second track on Gist Is “Am Gone,” pipes up with several sporadic “dun-dun-dah-dums” and instantly feels more playful but no less smart. We start to get a sense of Adult Jazz’s approachability. For those who feel more connected to music when they are able to sing along, this track is the one to do it with “I was always a runner…” But don’t be fooled, anytime you think you have guessed where they are going, they start moving away from you, shimmy for a moment and then head in the opposite direction. Here is where we can begin to draw parallels to the unexpectedness of The Dirty Projectors, the masters of creating a sound that feels so in-the-moment. In fact, each song on this album feels a little fleeting. As if what we are hearing doesn’t really exist, but was alive only once and only for a moment, recorded and not able to be replicated again. When the band plays live, it is easy to wonder, would we recognize any of these songs? Are they merely rough sketches meant to change and transform with the environment in which they are performed? It’s almost as though no two performances could ever be the same, they are merely ghosts of each other, echoing a similar sentiment, but creating a completely new auditory experience each time they’re played.
Gist Is does an amazing job of showcasing Adult Jazz’s ability to offer up equal amounts of both grace and quirk. The album moves along with an unusual, but determined pace building anticipation and leaving us wanting more, eager for what comes next. Each track thrives on an ebb and flow format that fosters intrigue and curiosity. There are moments when the band loses themselves in clamoring drum beats, excited guitar fingering, and boisterous shouting. The ruckus is then followed with a sudden halt in which Burgess’ vocals get perfectly poignant and gentle, his vocal range digging deep then climbing again. My favorite moment of the album occurs shortly after the first five minutes of “Donne Tongue,” the track releases, Burgess wistfully coos, then a commanding and steady drum beat follows. The way these moments are sandwiched between each other is what makes Adult Jazz’s debut so interesting and yet, there seems to be an unspoken connection between the members. The fluctuation comes across as easy and unforced as if the band has been playing together for many more years than they actually have.
Throughout Gist Is, there is a running theme of religious doubt “I’ve taken devoted bites and batted things away, still he never held me tight, he just patted me like a bad parent” and contemplative sentiments about what it means to be a good person “Some born setup for righteousness, I feel struck down, I feel iller than them, why doesn’t god talk anymore?” There is an openness about their exploration, the way it’s conveyed with both excited and impulsive hands that invite us to examine our own morality alongside them.
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The most vibrant track on the album is without a doubt “Idiot Mantra”, it begins with tribal drums, distant shouts, sporadic banging and the chanting an unrecognizable mantra. The nonsensical incantation eerily moves from stereo to left to right. Finally the chant gives way to a melodic “been humming an idiot mantra so long”, the rest of the band joins in and continue with “my heart it is spilling all over the ground” repeated over and over again. Just when it feels safe to sing along, the indistinguishable crooning picks back up, Burgess sounds as though he is speaking in tongues as the beat continues behind him. The song finishes with the initial “idiot mantra” being chopped and screwed into oblivion.
If you listen close enough you can hear just how much Adult Jazz’s debut album puts into sounding like the chaotic experience of becoming an adult human. As we move away from childhood, we also move away from the ideologies we were raised with. This presents us with the opportunity to reestablish who we are and what it is we believe. In this new space we are free to improvise, to try on different thoughts, ideals. Gist Is harnesses the power of that improvisation. Echoing the trial and errors we all go through in their music, Adult Jazz oscillates between certainty and doubt, good and bad as they try on new religions, new opinions. This is growing up, and it does not happen on a straight line, it is not perfectly arranged, it is achieved with contrasting movements, a shuffle back and forth. The unconventional and promising UK act understands this perfectly. Sometimes we get loud, sometimes we grow quiet. These unexpected moments and unrehearsed choices, they’re our adult jazz and they’re beautifully unique to each of us. So let us joy up and be springful.
Rating: 4.5/5