Ben LaMar Gay 
Even among the progressive and transgressive offerings fostered by his labelmates at International Anthem, Ben LaMar Gay stands out. Past albums have been lauded for their fusion of folklore, jazz, blues, and soul; and all the elements are in play on Yowzers, pushed by a thread of avant experimentalism and communal interplay. The heart of any album from Lamar Gay has been his ensembles. A consummate bandleader, Ben gathers likeminded luminaries from the musical community, creating a unit that works in symbiosis, though not in any clockwork fashion. The band took pains to record the record together in the room, facing one another. The players, including Tommaso Moretti (drums, percussion, voice), Matthew Davis (tuba, piano, bells, voice), and Will Faber (guitar, ngoni, bells, voice), don’t subsume their whims to the will of the work, but rather find it’s force in moments of friction.
Discomfort weaves with moments of uplifting joy as the players push and pull at their instruments to whittle out the truth. LaMar Gay is a storyteller, and leads with a storyteller’s heart. Even in the instrumental passages, there’s an emotional gust of wind that guides the listener through themes of defiance, determination, and resilience. The album laughs in the face of infuriating modern absurdity, but it laughs through gritted teeth. Under the surface of it’s sublime scratch, there’s an intensity. Burbling rhythms give way to uneasy tones, sour stomach searches for truth. The disorienting tension of standout centerpiece “I am (bells)” is perched between the momentary calm of “for Breezy” and the hushed, haunted whispers of “promontory.” The title track’s lament finds solace with LaMar Gay’s interpretation of the John Henry legend, and both tracks feeling like hymns to the strength of community. Yowzers is an album made in callous times that shows no signs of apathy itself. It’s an antidote, or at the very least an inoculation, to policies perpetuated with cruelty being the point. The record takes root, preparing for the worst while celebrating the best among its assembled family.
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