Talk Memory - BADBADNOTGOOD: Review
BADBADNOTGOOD
are a Canadian jazz trio who first gained popularity in the early 2010's with their first two albums. They were released on Bandcamp and featured creative instrumental renditions of online favorites like video game soundtracks and hip hop beats. The band had a breakout moment with their 4th album in 2016, with the records biggest hit becoming a surprise Tik Tok hit earlier this year. The band is known for collaborating with artists from the hip hop and indie scenes but Talk Memory features a much more jazz oriented set of collaborators and a sound much more indebted to classic jazz music as a result.
Review By Lav:
In my early teenage years I loved hip hop both new and old, loved artists like Joy Division and James Blake, had grown up playing Zelda games and was developing a burgeoning interest in jazz. All of that is to say that for me, like many other people out there BADBADNOTGOOD were an incredible cool and exciting way to dip my toes into the genre through the medium of music I was already familiar with, and that I thought they were the coolest three dudes I'd ever seen in my entire life. I've stuck with the band through the years and they've generally delivered pretty solid records and consistently interesting collaborations which had me excited going into this record. While they may not be appealing to as wide a range of listeners as they did in their early days, the trio has clearly developed a strong grasp of jazz fundamentals and put them on display expertly across Talk Memory.
The record gets off to a really hot start with its 9 minute lead single Signal From The Noise. It's a winding indulgent jazz cut with an eerie and cautions start then it all kicks off around the three minute mark. I love the combination of gentle swaying passages in relief of the songs most intense rushes. I see that Floating Points has a production credit on the song and while I'm not sure how significant of a role he played but it wouldn't surprise me if it was a lot because the production is so crisp. The symbols just cut through the mix and these wandering sax lines make it all feel like a fairy tale.
The good start carries on across the next two tracks, the first of which is Unfolding sporting a feature from Laraaji of Ambient 3 fame. He lays down a blissful pseudo ambient palette of reserved keys which serves as the base for some wandering sax improvisations. It starts to take a bit more cohesive form around 90 seconds in but never loses that solid base of sound. It's a sonically reserved moment compared to some other spots on the record and the focus is clearly on the saxophone outbursts cascading over everything but they really do sound great. City Of Mirrors is an absolutely whimsical piece of classical jazz with a string arrangement that is larger than life. While the wandering piano passage in the middle of the song doesn't quite fit in with its grandeur it pretty quickly gets back to the mystical high reaching peaks in the back half and I find the sound to be just blissful.
The back half of the record isn't quite as engaging as the first half generally but it does feature something very close to my heart, excellent drumming. Love Proceeding may not have any one thing that stands out really distinctly on the album but it does all the little things right and has grown on me every time I hear it. The composition is a tight one at just five minutes but it feels like something so much more expansive the more the band works through the progressions and gives the separate passages their own flavors and meaning. On top of it all it's a huge percussion highlight with some of the most versatile and exciting drumming the record has to offer. The closing track Talk Meaning is another highlight despite being brighter and more contained than the opener. There is a surprising amount going on in the song and it's got one of the stronger interpolations of keys than most of the other tracks here. The serene chimes that close the track off have a distinct sound to them and totally make the decision to ease into the outro work.
There aren't really any terrible songs on the record but Beside April was a single that I certainly wasn't crazy about at first. It starts off with a very mysterious allure to it but doesn't maintain the mystique for its whole runtime. I will say that the percussion is a big highlight and not just because of the drumming. The soloing and transitions on the track aren't the most exciting but the drumming is a steady and refreshing sound for the track throughout. The best part of the track is the final minute where it feels like it really ups the anti in a meaningful and unpredictable way. Finally there's Timid, Intimidating which lives up to its name by taking a significant portion of it's run time and devoting it to some pretty standard lounge style jazz. Thankfully once the tempo rises and some of what I think is electric guitar works its way into the track it gets more exciting and executes a long sax passage that runs from poised to a total freak out. It's a decent song even if it never got any more interesting sitting through the intro on repeat listens.
Talk Memory feels like a record worthy of the band breaking the numbered album streak. It is completely on an island compared to most of what they've done up to this point but the boldness of their shift is backed up by the poise they have developed as true jazz musicians. The songs are lively, verbose and fun throughout with splashes of technicality that jazz heads will appreciate alongside moments of exciting accessibility that can get anyone's blood pumping. Given how much has been made about the band venturing into a more "true" jazz direction they are clearly up to the task and Talk Memory presents some of the best new jazz music I've heard throughout 2021. 8/10
Album Cover Review by Tyler Judson:
The concept of the cover is well thought out and interesting but I don't think it works in this configuration. The white on light grey text is straining to see and the overlapping makes both hard to understand. The pop of blue on the side is nice but that's the only exciting part in it and it's where your eve is immediately drawn. The contrast of the bright blue and bland white is harsh on the eyes and I'm not into it. 3/10For more jazz check out my review of Sons Of Kemet's Black To The Future here
