Sloth Racket: Dismantle Yourself

Rating: ★★★★

Record and Artist Details

Musicians:

Cath Roberts (bs)
Sam Andreae (as)
Anton Hunter (g, elec)
Johnny Hunter (d)
Seth Bennett (b)

Label:

Luminous

October/2019

RecordDate:

February 2019

Over the past half-decade saxophonists Cath Roberts and Dee Byrne have built one of the most exciting experimental and free-improv scenes in the UK through their work with live music platform LUME and DIY label Luminous. Dismantle Yourself is the fourth release from Sloth Racket, a mythical beast from the Luminous stable that seems to get stronger with each outing. Freely improvising around composed fragments, the quintet explores a vast array of colours and textures and the full range of their instruments. There are grungy guitar riffs and loose punkish grooves, fluttering alto lines and gritty baritone forays, passages of bass pizzicato that sound like showers of kalimba, saxophone shrieks and wails and expansive textural passages buffeted by clattering cymbals. Unlike the band's previous albums which were all recorded in a single day, Dismantle Yourself was cut at Yorkshire residential studio Chairworks. The band had more time to experiment in the recording session and it shows. You can hear the thought in the music. The pacing is outstanding, enhancing the many gripping, climactic moments. This is collective free improv of the utmost depth and maturity.

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