The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis

James Brandon Lewis, The Messthetics

Released on 3/15/24 by Messthetics with James Brandon Lewis
Main artists: The Messthetics James Brandon Lewis
Genre: Jazz

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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

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The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis

The Messthetics

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