For the supposed party animal of ACLs genres, post-rock hasnt exactly been a lively guest so far this

year.
Mercifully, newcomers Robin Buyer Sextet have arrived bearing the proverbial kegs and decks to rouse us from our
all-too-civilised socialising. Fellow Brits of inclusive persuasion: ignore the unsavoury timing of a record called
Leave and immerse yourself with everyone else in a fun and cathartic fusion of math-rock, jazz and pop that will
doubtless go down as one of 2016s finest in the genre.

Our own Rich called out Shelter in his 10 Tracks to Start Your Summer piece, and the exuberance, rhythmic
elasticity and varied pacing exhibited in that single is maintained across all seven tracks, which neatly slot into half
an hour. While this is a debut album for the Brooklyn-based collective, its founder and chief composer Robin Buyer
is experienced both academically and in other bands, having studied bass guitar performance and ethnomusicology
at university as well as been part of a gamelan collective. Lest this mislead you, Leave is a wholly Western-sounding
record based in groove-based post-rock. What makes it stand out is its marriage of rhythmic daring and melodic
infectiousness, enhanced with a rich array of instruments.

Each of those instruments contributes meaningfully yet never obscures another a triumph of both composition and
production. Each knows its place and purpose: the guitar and keys in the centre, smoothing out jagged rhythmic
changes from the bass and drums on one side and anchoring the flowing melodies of the violin and sax on the other.
The variety and intelligence of the melody-heavy musicianship calls to mind Norwegian acts Jaga Jazzist and The
Samuel Jackson Five, but there is a greater immediacy to Robin Buyer Sextet thats driven by the tightness of the
quickly evolving compositions. Second track Leave, among the highlights of the record, overflows with dynamics
and moods, coursing through guitar- and sax-driven passages that are punctuated by crisp, abrupt crescendos with
biting drums. Its a breathtaking start, and the album barely relents thereafter.

Much math-rock can eventually labour through repetitive tone and tempo. Leave never even acknowledges this
threat, with many tracks employing abrupt yet coherent changes, and distinguishing themselves by leaning on
different instruments. The mallet- and bass-dominated first half of Dusked creates a distinctly lounge jazz feel; by
its fourth minute its morphed into an Oceansize-esque build up of jagged rhythms, pounding chords and soaring
vocals the intensity enhanced by the rigid control the rhythm section imposes, even as the final chords ring out.
The guitar gymnastics over a mid-tempo groove in Shelter are enough to get the hips moving, but only the most
intrepid dancer will last through this tracks outro a show-stealing masterclass in obscuring rhythmic skulduggery
beneath flowing brass lines and melodic guitar hooks. It simply will not leave my head.

With such demonstrable prowess so early in this bands career, where can it go from here? Perhaps the answer could
lie in Buyers penchant for world music. The likes of Esmerine have already demonstrated the power of fusing their
Western sound to scales and voices from the Middle East it would be fascinating to see if this supremely talented
bunch could do something similar. For now though, were just delighted theyve joined our party. (Chris Redfearn-
Murray)

Rhythmic elasticity.txt[14/03/2017 10:56:16]