Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes
What Kinda Music
Beyond the Groove/Blue Note
Listen Below
As propositions go, this combination of talents is as intriguing as any you may care to mention. Tom Misch’s debut album Geography (2018) came after a string of EPs that introduced a jazzy guitar allied to breezy songwriting that stayed filed under “chilled” rather than the somnambulism of some current R&B.
Yussef Dayes is an entirely different proposition though. The UK’s thriving jazz scene counts the virtuosic percussionist as one of its lynchpins—he first popped up with his brothers as United Vibrations before working alongside Kamaal Williams on the magnificent Black Focus album. Since then he has worked with a plethora of talents including Kamasi Washington, Sampha and Terrace Martin.
The intrigue lies in how the more mainstream sounds of Misch gel with the wilder freedom of Dayes’ background, and it is a delight to discover that they bond beautifully. In the main, the focus is on musicality rather than lyricism—many tracks are instrumental and those that aren’t don’t have lyrics that burn indelible marks on the memory.
The key to finding the balance is Dayes’ outstanding drumming. Without his intricate fills, polyrhythmatic flourishes and unwavering, resolute snare, some tracks could veer towards blandness—a lovely blandness, but a blandness nonetheless. He injects everything with intensity and energy, never letting things settle on an easy path.
Those moments of potential blandness are few and far between though on what is an extremely satisfying listen. A listen that begins with the title track and album highlight “What Kinda Music.” Once the probing intro is through, Dayes’ drumming goes hard and the throbbing synthesized bassline combine with strings to create something akin to heaven—it is thrillingly sublime.
“Festival” continues to build on the atmospherics of the opener, but this time with Misch’s falsetto swirling eerily around the mix alongside the muted splashes of Dayes’ cymbals to create another of the album’s many highlights. An ode to cruising the streets slides into view on “Nightrider” with Misch’s understated wah-wah and Dayes’ rimshots, coupled with a laconic Freddie Gibbs verse. As a side note, though, Gibbs’ use of “bitch” jars considerably with the rest of the output—are we really saying that this has to be part of the vernacular? Can he, a proficient wordsmith, really find no better word?
“Tidal Wave” is noticeable for the full gamut of Dayes’ flicks, tricks and thrills, while Misch finds a passion that doesn’t always permeate his playing and the shimmering wah wah returns on “The Real.” Alongside the brief “Sensational,” they are tracks that may have slid into “comfortable but unmemorable” territory, were it not for the percussive wonders of Dayes.
Things pick up, appositely, with “Lift Off.” Rocco Palladino guests on bass here and shows that he shares more than just a surname with his legendary father, Pino—his mellifluous playing is a definite chip off the old block. What starts as a fairly gentle creature transforms at its climax to a frenzied beast, as the three of them demonstrate the awesome power of a fully operational mothership—Misch’s guitar talks as clearly and eloquently as any you’ve had the pleasure to hear. Meanwhile, “I Did It For You” is further evidence that the prettiness of Misch’s lines sometimes needs the percussive substance of Dayes’ work to stay in the memory. the best of both of their worlds at various points and is further evidence in itself of a British music scene that bristles with talent and moves fluidly between many genres.
There are definite Thundercat vibes to the melody and backing vocals of “Last 100” before a stellar guitar solo and the somber “Kyiv” demonstrates the skittering ferocity of Dayes’ phenomenal drumming to the max. “Storm Before The Calm” adds more jazz pedigree in the shape of saxophonist Kaidi Akinnibi bringing the album to a close with some style.
Not everything here stays rooted in the memory. Sometimes there’s a light, untethered quality to the melodies and Misch’s jazzy guitar lines that makes them easily lost on the breeze. Those tracks are anchored by the quality of Dayes’ drumming rather than complemented by it. When the melodies and playing display the same muscularity and urgency of the drumming, there is a sense that they could be capable of anything together and those songs are both memorable and deeply affecting.
The intrigue was well founded—it is a pairing that displays the best of both of their worlds at various points and is further evidence in itself of a British music scene that bristles with talent and moves fluidly between many genres.
Notable Tracks: “Festival” | “Kyiv” | “Lift Off” | “What Kinda Music”
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