MUZZ - Muzz

And now the days are numbered

And all the games have run

Well, I plead my case, ‘cause nothing’s over

And I’m bleeding my way until it’s done

Done

Paul Banks sings in “How Many Days”: an ideal soundtrack for the recent lockdowns experienced around the world. Muzz, however, were born quite a few years earlier. The super-trio consists of the aforementioned Interpol frontman on vocals and guitar, Jonathan Fire Eater drummer and later The Walkmen member Matt Barrick, and multi-instrumentalist Josh Kaufman, also on guitar. As proof of their long-standing acquaintance, there's an unmissable photo posted on the band's official Twitter profile, showing a barely-adolescent Banks and Kaufman jokingly laying the groundwork for the project all the way back in 1994. In that vivid artistic and musical scene that was the Big Apple between the late '90s and the dawn of the new millennium, bands, ideas and possibilities must have crossed paths constantly. And so the singer went on to become the standard-bearer of the darkest, most melancholic nu-new wave with Interpol, while his old schoolmate became a well-regarded musician in Bonny Light Horseman and a producer, thanks to his contributions to records by The National, The War on Drugs and, above all, Josh Ritter.

Banks is no stranger to peppering his career with projects far removed from his main band. First under the name Julian Plenti, then simply under his own surname, and later alongside Steelz (aka RZA of Wu-Tang Clan) for the hip-hop detour of “Anything But Words”, through which he does justice to his lifelong love of the genre, also made plain on the mixtape “Everybody On My Dick Like They Supposed To Be”. After briefly crossing paths along their respective journeys, with Muzz the three New York friends and colleagues join forces for a work that's impeccable in its arrangements and production, moving with assured command from art-rock to folk. The game of spotting echoes of their other projects is short-lived – especially for anyone hoping for something Interpol-like – since the stated reference points are Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan.

It opens with “Bad Feeling”: an intro enriched by warm closing horns intertwined with the female vocal, also chosen as the album's first single, followed by “Evergreen”, both aching and delicate tracks. With “Red Western Sky” the pace picks up, and the singer's voice and lyrics (written together with the other two musicians) paint an even clearer picture of the emotional landscape the record moves through.

The piano textures of “Broken Tambourine” give way to the engaging “Knuckleduster”, one of the standouts of the bunch. Other notable passages include “Everything Like It Used To Be”, beautiful, simple and effective, and the aforementioned “How Many Days”, with its fine drumming and distorted solo.

No other standout moments emerge over the course of a well-made record that nonetheless lacks the bite needed to truly grab the listener. "Muzz" is a pleasant addition to the discographies of its protagonists, but calling it essential would be a stretch.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

11/06/2020