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Let Spin — Thick as Thieves
(Bandcamp no#, 2022, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2022-11-17

Thick as Thieves Cover art

I hadn’t heard of Let Spin before this album arrived, but once I saw that members of Led Bib, Beats and Pieces Big Band, and Melt Yourself Down were involved, I was instantly intrigued. On alto sax we’ve got Chris Williams (Led Bib), on drums is Finlay Panter (Beats and Pieces), and on bass is Ruth Goller (Melt Yourself Down); the quartet is rounded out by Moss Freed (guitar), whose resume includes Orchestra Entropy and The Spike Orchestra, neither of which I’m familiar with. By way of providing some perspective for Thick as Thieves, I went to their Bandcamp page and listened to their first album, which came out in 2014. It’s a lot of fun, with some upbeat tracks featuring outstanding bass, great drumming, edgy guitar, and sax that runs from melodic to out-there. Nice grooves with jagged intervals, and some quieter moments for contrast. Thick as Thieves has a somewhat different character, leaning much more on improvised material as opposed to compositions, and while most tracks do have a credited writer, they’re more loosely defined. You won’t find as much of the aggressive, off-kilter funkiness of the previous material. Not that it’s all floating and sleepy — far from it. “Ether” for some reason reminds me of something that might have appeared on a Bill Frisell album with a soaring melody and legato, volume-pedal guitar chords backed by very free-flowing drums and bass. “Red” seems to be a noisy group improv, and a listener could be forgiven for detecting a slight King Crimson flavor, though Williams’ sax work is unlike anything Fripp & Co have produced — the deep octave-shifted notes are ominous and freaky. It’s sort of like crossing Red with Sonny Sharrock’s Ask the Ages. Some of the inspirations listed in their materials include Paul Motian, Albert Ayler, Marc Ribot, and the Italian band Zu, and I’d say I hear each of those in some way or other, though the overall sound is pure Let Spin. I’m beginning the process of exploring their entire catalog, and would encourage readers to do the same.

Filed under: New releases, 2022 releases

Related artist(s): Let Spin

More info
http://letspin.bandcamp.com/album/thick-as-thieves

 

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