Adult Jazz’s ‘So Sorry So Slow’ is the London four-piece’s first album in a decade and over its hour-long running time, the band get to explore the power and pain of passion, panic, devotion and remorse…
‘Bleat Melisma’ opens the record with loose, tribal drumming and beautiful vocals that talk about ‘how heartless you are’ while synths are stabbed in the background. Think Three Trapped Tigers meets Lamb and you’re halfway there… This is followed by the brass-led sound of ‘Suffer One’, which finds vocalist Harry Burgess asking ‘Can somebody tell me I am reasonable?’ over enchanting flourishes. These fractured melodies continue through ‘y-rod’ and ‘No Relief’, both songs showing how there is always beauty to be found in fragility.
‘Marquee’ starts with some bouncy piano parts that soonmake way for twists and turns that switch from cinematic soundtrack to Efterklang-style chamber pop in an instant. ‘Dusk Song’ is distorted and droney, while ‘Earth of Worms’ is a considered piece of math rock. The avant-garde art pop of ‘Bend’ could well be the missing link between Tom Waits and Radiohead, while 7 and a half minute epic ‘I Was Surprised’ almost feels like a monolog from a stage show with its stunning falsetto and understated bass. The closing ‘Windfarm’ is an emotional account of someone drifting away – all delivered against a powerful post-rock backing.
Adult Jazz have nothing to apologize for on ‘So Sorry So Slow’. It’s an album that will take you on an unexpected and unforgettable journey…
