Lil Tae Rides Again

While they are jazz musicians through ,and through, JFJO members Brian Haas (keyboards) and Reid Mathis (bass) openly acknowledge the influences of Boards of Canada, Panda Bear, and Brian Eno. Their ninth disc LIL TAE RIDES AGAIN, reflects that inspiration along with that of electric-era Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock. The production layers pretty, shimmering, overlapping melodic fragments over constantly shifting rhythms evoking hushed drum 'n' bass, along with ominous, lurching beats. One of the few up-tempo pieces here is the dub-tinged "Discovering the Time Capsule," where sweet, nostalgic accordion sighs waft through thick, metallic-sounding piano chords. Dense and mysterious, LIL TAE is jazz-informed ambient music (jazambient?) that earns the listener's attention.