Album Review: BADBADNOTGOOD - IV

BADBAGNOTGOOD's IV opens with an air of mystery; the slow-moving And That, Too introduces the record's heightened focus on the brass section and demonstrates that the instrumental jazz group have opened up to modernised production styles, with the end product sounding much more of a hybrid than the pure band mix that was founded in their debut.

The keys sound closer to synthesisers here as Speaking Gently mixes gentle melodies with a fun and choppy drum beat as an explosive sax solo cuts in midway. Time Moves Slow (ft. Sam Herring) is a beautifully soulful and tear-jerking track. Herring's voice evokes that of Bobby Womack's contributions to Gorillaz on their Plastic Beach album, singing "Running away is easy, it's the leaving that's hard. Loving you was easy, it was you leaving that scarred." The vulnerability is touching. Confessions Pt II (ft Colin Stetson) is a delightfully challenging freeform explosion of wailing saxophone that dials into a swaggering '70s funk bridge. Lavender (ft Kaytranada) is a brilliantly dirty and heavy bass-driven track built from a subtle tambourine line that sits right at the back of the mix. The title track features fast-paced drumming, a recurring hook and pervading sax that are met with a retro keyboard bridge in the middle.

Quite a few babies will probably be conceived to Mick Jenkins' verse on Hyssop Of Love, if not this entire record. IV is a positive direction for BADBADNOTGOOD.