Revelators Sound System

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The connections that come to mind in a Hiss Golden Messenger side project don’t usually skirt through soul-jazz, dub, and Alice Coltrane territory, but here we are on the precipice of Revelators Sound System, the debut from MC Taylor and Cameron Ralston. The record digs deep and unspools the connections that crop up on weather-beaten mixtapes coated in ash and incense. The pair synthesize the out of body bliss of letting ‘70s Miles bump up against Can and Cluster. It reeks of Don Cherry flirting with Scientist dub plates and the field recorded sounds of grass growing between decomposed pieces of Ash Ra Tempel broken on the lawn. There’s a kind of kinetic energy that vibrates off of the record and it seeps out of the speakers and into the electrons in the room.

Funk phrases turn inward and then let flap in the wind. Forest jazz overtakes the turntable in time-lapse precision before “Bury The Bell,” lets orchestral swoons and ambient hum bloom out of the remains. The record brings together a lively cross-section of collaborators from the pair’s respective circles — JT Bates’ dynamic drumming, Stuart Bogie’s smoked clarinet, and J.C. Kuhl’s flanneled sax are all particular highlights. The record succeeds in its concept admirably, creating a sort of sound bath surround for the listener. It’s a cocoon of rhythm and respite, a soul exhortation that works the demons out of every pore. If this is just a one-off, then the band has spent their studio time well, but I’d love to see where this could take Taylor and Ralston, like John Dwyer’s recent rabbit holes of jazz. It’s nice to see the indie guys seeking some sort of sonic Nirvana.

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