The University of Kansas
Recent PostsI discovered Web Web a couple of weeks back wondering through Tidal recommendations. While I’d rather talk to people, the recommendations generated by Tidal and Roon are actually pretty good. When I get bored they usually recommend something listenable. If you want to understand how AI can go off the rails, do a few searches or play some music you normally wouldn’t and watch what happens to your recommendations. A fun game to play, but I digress…
Worshippers is categorized as Jazz. Just Jazz. That likely means the reviewer’s don’t quite know what to do with it. Jazz it is, but there’s way more. Roon and Tidal tell me very little about Web Web. Bandcamp would seem to be their home - lots of merch, but still very little about their origins.
“Two Faces Lost” opens with some nice spoken word and then descends into down tempo cool jazz with a wonderful flute lead. Flute has disappeared from the music I listen to and it’s always refreshing to heard it. The song makes me think of an old noir detective movie that’s transitioning from scene to scene with the lead character walking along well-worn, but unknown streets.
The next track, “Warlock,” is in 6 and takes things up a half-notch and pulls in violins working in tandem with the flute. Still that noir feeling and done quite well. Solos are a bit further outside, but appropriate for this tune.
Suddenly “Free A.M.” takes off like a shot. Sizzling waltz showing off the sax player and again going a bit outside, but in a cool 60’s kind of way. The bass player and drummer are killing it laying down a perfect platform for the soloists.
Did I mention flute? Much more coming on “Paranormal Questions.” Back downtempo with some orchestral moments that are quite good. But then the flute vanishes on “What You Give” and the spoken word artist adds a fantastic vocal. Kind of a spacey sax working as well, but the vocalist I could listen to for much longer than the all-to-short 2 minute song. That’s disappointing.
After an up-tempo track that heads way outside for a bit, then album goes back to where it started in good way with “Inner Revolution” and spacey vocals with flute solo work. Worshippers continues that thought for the remainder of the album.
I’m sure I just heard a Fender-Rhodes, which seals the deal for me…
If you like the 70’s, contemplative cool jazz this is your album. Actually, Web Web is your band. Fantastic stuff complete with flute, fender, and breathy vocals. It’s hard to beat this if you want to crawl inside your head for a look around or maybe score a detective movie with a flawed, but sympathetic main character. I’ve come back to Worshippers over and over, plus visited some of Web Web’s other work. Highly recommended.