4 out of 5

Label: Trouble in Mind

Produced by: Charles Burst

Sunwatchers’ sound is one that I think is immediately understandable – there will be references to the free jazz of Albert Ayler; the angular improv spirit of other NY-based artists like John Lurie – but also unique to them. The group crosses through the above mentioned vibes and blends it with a King Gizzard stoner jam thing, but also just utterly rocks out at points, which sometimes seems counter to the always forefronted social / political messaging present on their artwork. As in: should a band with an agenda be this much fun?

But I also think that’s the special sauce in a way – combining a love of free-wheeling, loud music with Something To Say is perhaps what’s keeping this thing on rails: where other instrumental acts showily indulge, SW are good to just hit a sweet riff; where free jazzers are sometimes anti-structure, the ‘Watchers absolutely also maintain a focus on melody, even at their noisiest; and though runtimes aren’t limited, the group is clearly down with a get-in, get-out squall where appropriate, allowing this full length to come in at a respectable and approachable 37 minutes.

II is also a significantly comprehensive and smartly sequenced listen, covering the different shades of the band’s approach on each half: one rocker, one jam, and one slow-rolled epic.

To start, the rollicking Nose Beers establishes a pretty good m.o., tying back to how I started: the combination of guitar-first, skronky jams is not new – nor is the way it backs into free jazz – calling to mind some Gustaffson / Zu / Psychedelia-of-choice mix, but SW’s perfect juggling of chaos and control with an underpinning sense of glee is uniquely theirs. Followup The Hot Eye leans into noisy drone, like something on VHF, giving more leeway to the horns that eventually turns into a punky breakout. Then There Are Weapons You Can Bring to School does a loose Americana riff, played at a careful marching pace, progressively adding more and more punctuation, up to a rousing breaking point. Here, admittedly, I’d say the track does a cooldown coda for longer than needed, but it’s a good breather.

The B-side circles back around on this, but ramped up and down effectively: Silent Boogie is a brutal, fast-paced rocker; The Works is an all-hands-on jam; and closer Flowers Of The Water again slows things down, but isn’t about a big ol’ payoff, rather playing us through the end credits.

II is a bracing listen, but has that Sunwatchers mindfulness of melody throughout, giving space for us to bob along and not be overwhelmed by its equally chaotic moments. The mastering requires some volume manipulation – the loud moments can hurt if at the same volume as the steady state stuff – but the pain is worth it, resulting in an album that stands out amongst a growingly more-and-more impressive catalogue.