Seattle's
High Pulp are an effusively cross-pollinated instrumental collective with a sound that straddles the line between avant-garde jazz, psychedelic post-rock, and experimental electronic music. It's a vibrant mix that made their 2020 debut,
Bad Juice, such an ear-popping surprise and one that they further expand on 2022's equally far-reaching
Pursuit of Ends. Once again, much of the group's sound stems from drummer/bandleader
Bobby Granfelt's infectious beats. Here, he is joined by longtime bandmates keyboardists
Rob Homan and
Antoine Martel, guitarist
Scott Rixon, and saxophonists
Andrew Morrill and
Victory Nguyen. Together, they play with a textured, deeply analog groove aesthetic that draws from a wide array of influences, including the space jazz of
Sun Ra, the edgy electronic dance music of
Aphex Twin, and the acid-soaked jazz fusion of
Miles Davis' early-'70s work. They also bring along a small cadre of horn players who add yet more polyphonic atmospheres throughout, as on the opening "Ceremony," where warm Afrobeat horns pierce the frenetic electro-jazz rhythm. Also helping
High Pulp raise the bar this time out are a handful of guest improvisers. Saxophonist
Jaleel Shaw brings a soulful,
Wayne Shorter-esque attitude to his solo in "All Roads Lead to Los Angeles," a track that seamlessly blends the '70s fusion of
Weather Report with a kinetic, jungle drum and bass rhythm. Equally potent is "Wax Hands," a sparkling dreamscape featuring harpist
Brandee Younger, and "You've Got to Pull It Up from the Ground," a kaleidoscopic group improv featuring trumpeter
Theo Croker that evokes the spiraling '70s free funk of Detroit's
Tribe Records. ~ Matt Collar