BBNG - Mid Spiral EP Trilogy
13/6/2024
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BADBADNOTGOOD are a Canadian instrumental music group that gained widespread acclaim for their innovation of genre, fusing together jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music to create a truly unique sound. Formed in 2010, the Toronto-based ensemble originally consisted of Matthew Tavares on keyboards, Chester Hansen on bass, and Alexander Sowinski on drums, with Leland Whitty joining later on saxophone and guitar.
The band's unique sound began with a blend of original pieces and covers, bringing a jazz-filled feel to classic hip-hop tracks from artists such as Nas and the late MF Doom, as well as renditions from the Zelda soundtrack. They are characterized by intricate improvisation and a deep reverence for both jazz tradition and contemporary music, which has led to collaborations with prominent artists such as Tyler, The Creator and Kendrick Lamar, and even lending their production talents to Ghostface Killah.
BBNG's genre-blurring approach and energetic live performances have earned them a dedicated following and a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking groups in modern music.
They released three EP's, Chaos, Order and Growth last month (May 2024), which act as suites for a full length album set to release in September. In their own words, "As the trio sifted through the weeks’ worth of material, it was clear that three distinct moods emerged, a deeper reflection of where the musicians are within their own personal lives, along with the state of the wider world: Chaos, Order and Growth."
Chaos
7/10
I found this EP to be an enjoyable listening experience. I hadn't listened to much music like this before, and it was an eye-opening journey It is full of talented jams in which no instrument does a disservice to the recordings. It begins with a melodic funk-infused song in "Eyes On Me". It features some great guitars and a beautifully unique blend of synths. "Take Me With You" picks this up and rhythmically expands, creating a laidback jazz-rock feel.
"Weird And Wonderful" could not sound more like it's name, opening with dissonantly cascading horns backed by a grooving rhythm section that very much stands out in this track.
The second half begins with "Mid Spiral", a full electric jazz-rock jam with crunchy guitars and driving drums, but not enough to lose the signature BBNG jazz sound, which they have honed over the years. "Last Laugh" (my personal favourite track from this EP) further expands on the foundation of the previous track, colliding various percussion elements with a cruising synth bass line, a soaring lead guitar that would not sound of place on an 80s glam rock record, and a beat that has been mixed to perfection, bringing a biting rhythm to the overall song. “Your Soul & Mine” finishes this EP with a simplisticly grooving jazz-funk track, with a saxophone line that are stuck in my head as I write this.
Overall I think this EP is a solid way to introduce your latest project and deliver some great tracks along with that. You can't go wrong with this.
Order
5/10
This one let me down. I didn't think that any sounds from this album really developed from "Chaos" other than the samba influences, which are mighty prevalent throughout. I feel like they played it rather safe here.
The EP begins with "Playgroup", a 7 minute long piece full of classic post-bop feel, with echoing saxophone runs and a lovely rhythm section. It develops throughout with texture, but not in any groundbreaking way. "Juan's World" begins the samba aesthetic this EP is filled with, delivering an interesting fusion with samba and jazz influences. The percussion elements shine again, as the many different components mesh together quite well.
We are then brought to "Taco Taco", a song about being stoned while walking through LA. I dislike this song majorly. If you showed this song to a person looking to get into BBNG's extensive discography, they would turn away and never think about looking back. It is a barebones clave-focused jam with narration that borderlines obnoxious, with a few laughs included that make this song feel like it is making fun of you for even listening to it. This song alone brought this EP down a few ratings.
This stinkingly horrid piece of music brings us on to "Setima Regra", which after listening to the track before feels like a breath of fresh air. This is full of grooving solos that show the samba fusion in a good light. "Sunday Afternoon's Dream" is my personal favourite track from this album. This is full of relaxing riffs that balance well with the complex percussion section. The EP finishes off with "Rewind your Mind", a spacious reverberated ending which showcases some fine piano playing and overall texture.
Just don't listen to Taco Taco, everything else is fine.
Growth
7/10
This EP finishes off the trilogy with a bang, delivering solid BBNG tunes and keeping the sound fresh. This is the shortest EP of the trilogy, yet this does not detract from it's awesomeness (this is my personal favourite EP).
The EP opens with "First Love", which features a spaciously lush intro and some great bass. This song sweeps through different rhythms, sometimes switching to double time for what feels like only seconds. They have jammed a lot of ideas into a song only 5 minutes in length, and that can sometime take away from the impact of this ideas, but that does not mean they aren't good ideas.
This takes us onto "Audacia", a funk-filled tune with some sweet clav sounds and once again some great percussion (damn how good is he!?). The instrumentation really shines on this, with tasteful organ playing adding a layer of calm to the track. "Growth" fits this album perfect, it has an optimistic mood, which helps uplift your mood after listening to "Taco Taco" (I won't mention it again promise)
"Celestial Hands" layers the feels of calmness over your ears like a blanket and turns on the heating, bringing a soulful warmth accentuated with hand drums and some really really well mixed sax. This silky smooth jazz continues on "Ways of Seeing". The airy organ in the background acts as a gliding magic carpet that takes you through a soft wave of clean guitar runs, percussion and sax that melts in around the mix like butter on warm crumpets.
The track crescendos in some areas and overall has a great movement throughout. The final track to this EP, and for "Mid Spirals" overall, is "White Light", an absolutely beautiful piece with some emotionally pungent saxophone and a plethora of plucked guitars that invoke a feeling of campfire warmth. While short, this track delivers everything it sets out to achieve - a soothing ballad to end a rollercoaster of sounds.
This was an interesting trip through the jazz fusion wheelhouse of BADBADNOTGOOD and while it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it needs not to - it delivers a varied trilogy that journeys through different inspirations and themes. Some parts did let me down, and I think maybe the project would have benefited from these tracks being omitted, but overall, I rate this and I look forward to exploring the extensive discography that they offer. Definitely worth checking out