Though closely aligned with the British jazz scene, England's
Melt Yourself Down have carved out a singular jagged space in the uncharted stylistic terrain that exists between vanguard jazz, post-punk, Afrobeat, post-punk funk, and various African musics. Arguably,
Pray for Me I Don't Fit In best illustrates their place on that periphery. 2020's
100% Yes deserved accolades for its jagged, abrupt take on musical eclecticism, zig-zagging across styles and genres from moment to moment. This set is more focused and holistic yet sounds simultaneously more unhinged.
Produced by
Ben Hillier (
Blur), the sextet all but forsake jazz here, as saxist/bandleader/arranger
Pete Wareham delves deeply into skronky, hooky, formally constructed songs with half-sung/half-shouted English-language vocals by Mauritian frontman/guitarist
Kushal Gaya. Everything here seems to be led by canny bassist
Ruth Goller's exceptionally solid, rhythmically unshakeable riffs. The band hone their propulsively anarchic rhythm core into a spicy aural gumbo of aggressive, knife-edged precision. They weave effects-heavy live drums and percussion via hyperkinetic electronic beats and industrial production.
In the opening title track, a filthy, rumbling bassline meets double-timed drums,
Gaya's chanted vocals, and
Wareham's sideways sax playing. Synths and loops frame an Afro-Latin carnival groove that roars, then circles back on itself. "Boots of Leather" emerges with a shambolic post-punk vamp, but when the singing stops, stabbing horns, crunchy bass, and hard-swinging drums and percussion careen into mutant Afrobeat. Both "For Real" and "Nightsiren" dig into grinding, industrial, punk-funk -- more
A Certain Ratio than
Rick James -- while weaving a rhythmic bond from dubwise North African rhythms.
Wareham's squalling horn underscores each of
Gaya's sung lines in the former before a post-punk breakdown in the bridge claims the fore. The latter's appeal lies in its triple-timed collision of reverbed electro,
Borbetomagus-esque sax skronk, and interlocking organic and synthetic drums. "Fun Fun Fun" roils out of the gate with a punchy, rubbery bassline, swinging Afrobeat horns, and fingerpopping loops above clattering drums. The band's jazz roots pop out momentarily in the pointillistic horn-and-bass interplay on "Sunset Flip," while
Wareham delivers an atonal mini-solo that almost dislocates the core vamp on "Balance." The intro to "Ghost on the Run" sounds like an outtake from
Konono No. 1 until the horns borrow the sliver of
Tower of Power funk template and these grooves become dangerous and sinister. The powerful brass overtone honks challenge
Gaya for dominance. The band careens across sharpened Afrobeat, synthy industrial rock, and loopy post-punk exploding the tune into an orgy of rhythm, noise, and overtones. For all of its incendiary music, furious soundscapes, and rhythmic madness,
Pray for Me is beautifully produced, mischievously strategized, and expertly performed. ~ Thom Jurek