A beguiling album that amply replays repeated listening, revealing more of itself and the carefully crafted compositions with time.
ACT 8042-2
Nick Smart (piano); Jordan Smart (saxophone); Rob Turner (drums)
Recorded March 20 – 24, 2025
For those familiar with the music of Mammal Hands they will already acknowledge the compositional and genre-blending melting pot that is their signature, but with this latest release there can be heard a shift in the sound of the collective.
Following the departure in 2024 of drummer Jesse Barrett, Nick and Jordan Smart brought in new blood to the mix in Rob Turner whose credential included being the long time drummer for GoGo Penguin.
While Turner brings a fresh and vital rhythmic drive to the trio, the three musicians spent time when off the road in working out just how to incorporate the new elements that were increasingly apparent into their music and writing new music for the group.
The resulting album Circadia retains the intricate melodies and freneticism for which they are rightly renowned with a more open-ended approach to improvisation as heard on ‘Alia’s Abandon’ and the opening ‘Windows to Your World’.
While judicious use of electronics, synth and overdubbed saxophones are for the most part highly effective, there on occasions times when the music in danger of being swamped and the heart of the composition being lost. But when the balance is right, the music is utterly spellbinding.
‘Forgotten Friend’ opens with a repeating piano line and drum pattern that beautifully showcase both the melody and Jordan Smart’s saxophone, and there is a gentle beauty to Nick Smart’s introduction to the eloquent ‘A Thread In The Dark’ and again some wonderful playing from the saxophonist.
The pianist makes a bold statement again, albeit quietly, on the lovely ‘Helios’ while the album closes with Jordan’s overtones on tenor and Nick’s piano that alongside the drums lays out a rippling figure for the saxophone to state and embellish the melody as the mood becomes ever darker and more ominous.
A beguiling album that amply replays repeated listening, revealing more of itself and the carefully crafted compositions with time.
