The mental gymnastics this Munich five-piece have been through to make this record is enough to make your head hurt. Musical boundaries have been rigorously challenged, practically and philosophically. Rather than hitting the nail on the head, they say that their methodology reverses the analogy.
So it’s a relief to report that Breaking Brains is a lively, wide-ranging jazz-rock romp, dynamically played and underpinned by restless rhythmic patterns that vary from crashing waves to ripples.
And crucially, their methodology has a strong sense of melody: think the Mahavishnu Orchestra playing live at the court of the Crimson King and you’re getting there.
It’s more complex than that, obviously – try working out what they’ve done with Mancini’s famous Pink Panther theme.
