Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
The pairing of a beloved post-hard rhythm section with an acclaimed experimental jazz composer and woodwind player might bring quick surprise. The Messthetics feature the rhythm section of Fugazi, who stretched beyond their hardcore origins into introspective songs that often emphasized bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty. The two reunited in 2016 in the instrumental trio The Messthetics with guitarist Anthony Pirog, and released two albums on Dischord, the label closely associated with Fugazi.
James Brandon Lewis leads ensembles that perform his compositions, and also appears as a saxophonist for jazz notables like William Parker and Alan Braufman. Lewis has also worked with genre-crossing collaborators for many years. A 2015 performance of his group Heroes Are Gang Leaders, released as The Avant-Age Garde I Ams Of The Gal Luxury, featured avant-punk innovators Lydia Lunch and Thurston Moore, and Lewis also appears on two albums by guitarist Marc Ribot, whose work defies tidy categorization. Before this full-length collaboration, the Messthetics joined Lewis for the final track on his 2023 album Eye of I.
Anthony Pirog's diverse background ranges from rock projects like Jimmy Chamberlin's band Skysaw and Jeremy Enigk's 2017 album Ghosts, to writing chamber compositions and accompanying the Lithuanian composer Arturas Bumšteinas. Among Pirog's jazz projects, William Hooker's visceral 2018 quintet album Pillars… at the Portal, also features Lewis on saxophone, and is their first recorded collaboration.
In many of these projects, including the earlier Messthetics albums, Pirog's guitar is drenched in a broad array of effects. Perhaps the biggest surprise of The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis is Pirog's frequent use of a less-exaggerated tone, which draws emphasis to the melodies and chords that he plays. The overdriven guitar sound, with occasional bursts of more extreme colors, references a rock idiom more than traditional jazz guitar, while also charting a new path for Pirog. Lally's deep, dub-influenced bass tone and Canty's dark snare retain their recognizable Fugazi character. Only the clean presentation of Lewis's saxophone references a typical jazz timbre.
Compositionally, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis draws more heavily from jazz traditions. Most tracks follow a head-body-head structure. In the bodies, the guitar and saxophone explore melodies that refer back to the opening themes. The diverse compositions provide flow and hold attention—for example, the mid-tempo "Three Sisters" follows the more propulsive "That Thang." The album's successful mix of genres lands closer to Bill Frisell's tightly-structured electric albums than Lean Left's explosive energy. © Steve Silverstein/Qobuz
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From 12.49€/month
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Joe Lally, Composer, Bass, AssociatedPerformer - James Brandon Lewis, Composer, Producer, Saxophone, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer - Brendan Canty, Composer, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Anthony Pirog, Composer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Charlie Pilzer, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - The Messthetics, Producer, MainArtist - Don Godwin, Producer, Mixer, Mastering Engineer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Album review
The pairing of a beloved post-hard rhythm section with an acclaimed experimental jazz composer and woodwind player might bring quick surprise. The Messthetics feature the rhythm section of Fugazi, who stretched beyond their hardcore origins into introspective songs that often emphasized bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty. The two reunited in 2016 in the instrumental trio The Messthetics with guitarist Anthony Pirog, and released two albums on Dischord, the label closely associated with Fugazi.
James Brandon Lewis leads ensembles that perform his compositions, and also appears as a saxophonist for jazz notables like William Parker and Alan Braufman. Lewis has also worked with genre-crossing collaborators for many years. A 2015 performance of his group Heroes Are Gang Leaders, released as The Avant-Age Garde I Ams Of The Gal Luxury, featured avant-punk innovators Lydia Lunch and Thurston Moore, and Lewis also appears on two albums by guitarist Marc Ribot, whose work defies tidy categorization. Before this full-length collaboration, the Messthetics joined Lewis for the final track on his 2023 album Eye of I.
Anthony Pirog's diverse background ranges from rock projects like Jimmy Chamberlin's band Skysaw and Jeremy Enigk's 2017 album Ghosts, to writing chamber compositions and accompanying the Lithuanian composer Arturas Bumšteinas. Among Pirog's jazz projects, William Hooker's visceral 2018 quintet album Pillars… at the Portal, also features Lewis on saxophone, and is their first recorded collaboration.
In many of these projects, including the earlier Messthetics albums, Pirog's guitar is drenched in a broad array of effects. Perhaps the biggest surprise of The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis is Pirog's frequent use of a less-exaggerated tone, which draws emphasis to the melodies and chords that he plays. The overdriven guitar sound, with occasional bursts of more extreme colors, references a rock idiom more than traditional jazz guitar, while also charting a new path for Pirog. Lally's deep, dub-influenced bass tone and Canty's dark snare retain their recognizable Fugazi character. Only the clean presentation of Lewis's saxophone references a typical jazz timbre.
Compositionally, The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis draws more heavily from jazz traditions. Most tracks follow a head-body-head structure. In the bodies, the guitar and saxophone explore melodies that refer back to the opening themes. The diverse compositions provide flow and hold attention—for example, the mid-tempo "Three Sisters" follows the more propulsive "That Thang." The album's successful mix of genres lands closer to Bill Frisell's tightly-structured electric albums than Lean Left's explosive energy. © Steve Silverstein/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 9 track(s)
- Total length: 00:46:13
- Main artists: The Messthetics James Brandon Lewis
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis
- Genre: Jazz
© 2024 The Messthetics ℗ 2024 The Messthetics
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.