Emergency Group is a jazz-psych-rock act from Brooklyn that includes renowned WFMU DJ Dave Mandl on bass, former Zachary Cale bandmates Jonathan Byerely and Robert Boston on guitar and keyboards, respectively, and Andreas Brade on drums. The group will release Venal Twin on October 20, 2023, via the great Centripetal Force records, which will be available digitally and on limited runs of cassettes and CDs. You can pre-order this jawn now.
The bandmates have interesting musical histories, as Boston and Brade worked together in the modern dance scene before Emergency Group. The group formed in its current iteration in 2020, just before COVID put everything on lockdown. “It was a circumstance that delayed their momentum, but it certainly didn’t dampen their intensity,” Mike Mannix from Centripetal Force says. “This set of recordings is certainly a testament to that.”
About Emergency Group and Venal Twin
Venal Twin continues Emergency Groups’ free jazz explorations of earlier releases, but this time with a tightened focus and maturity that comes from the band putting in hours of rehearsal, playing shows, and in the studio. This is their third release of 2023, following their debut Inspection of Cruelty on Island House Recordings and the self-release Crisis in Mono. They’ve been busy this year.
Venal Twin was recorded shortly after the Inspection of Cruelty sessions and, according to Centripetal Force, it severs as a “sort of antagonist, or perhaps more accurately, an evil twin, to its predecessor.” The tone and mood of the record are darker, and the free-jazz freak-outs are more aggressive.
The Songs
The title track, “Venal Twin,” shoots right out of the gate with a chaotic guitar attack and off-kilter keys, setting the tone for the rest of the album. Spontaneity and improvisation drive Emergency Group’s style, and it’s evident in this first song. The modal jamming and seizure-like fits of dissonance may turn some people off, but there’s certainly a place for this type of experimental jazz-rock fusion. Captain Beefheart would be proud of this opening song, which drones on for eleven-and-a-half minutes through peaks and valleys of madness.
“Dime Champ” comes next, an even longer track at more than thirteen minutes. There’s no repertoire or songbook for Emergency Group with these songs; they follow the psychedelic spirit and collective mood to guide them. And the mood in “Dime Champ” is especially ferocious. There have been many comparisons to the electric-era Miles Davis in these songs, which makes sense.
Miles’ On the Corner has been mentioned in comparison with Venal Twin, and you could also mention Bitches Brew without the trumpet, of course. Emergency Group attacks these songs with originality, though. Throughout “Dime Champ,” the jam may suddenly come to a close only to be re-awakened in a new frenetic strain and pace. Brade’s drums keep a rhythm and method to the madness, while Byerley sends us lunatic soundwaves from his guitar.
“Pyramid Street” starts with a funkier vibe, a smooth bassline, and Lizard-Lounge-like keys. This track feels more traditional in structure, and Brade’s drums keep to a steady rhythm. Byerley’s guitar is a mess of feedback and angry wails, though, more in the noise-rock tradition. Boston’s keys are my favorite part of “Pyramid Street,” which I felt kept the song from collapsing into itself. Like most tracks, it switches gears here and there; the drumming jumps to a different rhythm and the song takes us to unexpected places.
“Wine & Lotto” closes the album, beginning with a rapid-fire drum pattern. The guitar pops in with acid-infused flairs, and the keys linger in the background to warmly encapsulate the song. “Wine & Lotto” is more than sixteen minutes long, following the pattern of four lengthy tracks. By the middle of the song, Byerley’s guitar explodes with noise and fury over a jazzy drumbeat and subtle, smooth bassline. Emergency Groups’ evil twin (or Jungian shadow side) has run rampant in the studio and revealed itself to us with this final track.
Final Thoughts
I mentioned in a recent review about Tokyo-based Joseph of Kirezi that some psychedelic is chaotic and that, by and large, free-form experimentation is one of the hallmarks of the genre. Emergency Group’s Venal Twin fits this category, as they’ve created an improvisational freak-out good for the heads.
Not everyone will enjoy the chaos, but for those who like this kind of thing, you’ll want to try it. This is good music for turning the lights off, closing your eyes, and traveling in the astral plane with your ancestors. I can’t imagine listening to this at a dinner party unless the host has spiked the sweet tea with LSD. Then again, maybe Third Eye readers go to parties like this.
Venal Twin is available for pre-order now via Centripetal Force Records, whose motto is “disparate sounds for disparate people.” The label always delivers the good, weird stuff, and Venal Twin is another freaky record for your collection.
Support Emergency Group by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram).
Support Centripetal Force Records by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter).
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Parting words: “The repetitions were never quite exact. There was a pattern with disturbances. An orderly disorder.” – James Gleick
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