The Early

It’s always lovely to see something out of the consistently fertile Island House stable, and the label follows quickly on an excellent EP from Philly improvisers The Early with the band’s latest album, I Want To Be Ready. The EP might have gotten buried in the holiday hubbub and the race to year-end lists. December is, historically, a cruel month for music. Resetting to the top of the year, the band digs deeper on I Want To Be Ready, an album rooted in the Chicago ‘90s post-rock wonderland and the long shadow that it’s cast over improv, jazz, and fusion ever since. The record ties together five improvisations, showcasing the fluid dynamic between Alex Lewis’ stings and keys and the tumbling, edge of entropy drumming of Jake Nussbaum.

The Early envision improvisation as collaboration, a push and pull; leaderless but never rudderless. The pair play off of each other with a sixth sense, a feeling that they’ve been through shadows of their final works before, but are always ready to pull the shades and shine light on new direction. First listen to their new album gives a feeling that the pair may branch off at any moment, no roads feel fixed, no choices wheel worn. The tenuous air on works like the title track make tension and turbulence the third and fourth in their combo. The record elevates The Early towards the ranks of the West Coast’s strain at the ETA. It’s been a banner few years for exploratory forms of fusion, but this one should sit nicely alongside your recent pickups from International Anthem and Eremite.

Support the artist. Buy it HERE.