II

Album review

French quintet Notilus can be categorized as jazz for the ease of convenience, but they incorporate heavy doses of electronic instrumentation and effects along with horns and drums, and their sound points to cinematic touchstones in addition to heavy bass and big melodies inspired by dance music and hip-hop production. Their self-titled debut appeared in 2017, and after switching drummers and continuing to develop their approach through live performances, sequel II arrived in 2023. The band describe their second album as being rawer and more spontaneous than their first effort. However, there's a bit less swing to the jazz elements on this one, and it seems like they've dialed down some of the rousing energy in favor of more complex arrangements. Opener "Aria" contains progressive synth arpeggios and a rhythm that's difficult to trace, yet it goes down easily due to its smooth production and intriguing sense of wonder. "F" arrives closer to a hybrid of dubstep and IDM, with foggy, echoing horns criss-crossing with skittering beats and bubbling synths. "Dool" is the album's longest and most exciting selection, starting off with a cool stride before eventually taking flight with a propulsive drum'n'bass groove. Wobbling bass and racing drums carry the track's exuberant horns, and the beat drops out just as everything seems like it's getting too heavy, making for a refreshing comedown. "Long Voyage" is a hypercharged dub-jazz number which builds up into a rhythm which gets extremely dense and knotty, but mixed well enough that it stops just short of sounding cluttered. The album ends with "Descent - Memories - Ascent," a gorgeous ambient suite which traverses the watery depths before triumphantly re-emerging. Notilus collectively have a boundless imagination, yet they know how to apply restraint so that their flights of fancy are cohesive enough for listeners to follow.

© Paul Simpson /TiVo