John Dwyer is a hard man to keep up with. The mainstay of the underground rock scene for over two decades has been involved in a list of projects longer than many artists’ discographies. It also doesn’t help that the name of his primary outfit, OSEES, has gone through more titular rebrands than the late Prince.
Over the summer, Dwyer announced a new experimental jazz ensemble project that saw him join up with members of TV on the Radio, Prettiest Eyes, and more. The group delivered its debut album, Bent Arcana, back on August 21st. On Monday, the band announced its second studio endeavor, Moon Drenched, which will arrive on May 28th via Castle Face, and shared a preview with the sprawling 12-minute track, “The War Clock”.
The original crew from Bent Arcana has returned for Moon Drenched and features Dwyer alongside Tom Dolas (keys) and Brad Caulkins (saxophone), the two musicians who exist on OSEES’ periphery. The band also features Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio (modular synthesizer), Ryan Saw and Marcos Rodriguez of Prettiest Eyes (guitar), Laena “Geronimo” Myers-Ionita of Feels (violin), Joce Soubiran (tenor sax), and Flying Lotus associate Andres Renteria (percussion). Also on board for this latest endeavor is keyboardist Ben Boye (Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Ty Segall).
“The War Clock” finds the extensive ensemble partaking in a similar free-form style of jazz exploration from Bent Arcana. Stylistically, the song is a heady brew of influences that comes from the diverse and ever-expanding lineup of familiar faces involved in the project. The track is an experimental swimming pool that grows deeper and more layered the further one ventures in, before finally letting listeners out wading in the deep end.
Listen to “The War Clock” from the upcoming Moon Drenched collaborative album lead by John Dwyer. The album is available for pre-order on Bandcamp. Scroll down to see the full tracklist and album art.
Dwyer, Sawyer, Kerlin, Dolas, Caulkins, Malone, Rodriguez, Boye, Soubiran, Myers-Ionita, Renteria – “The War Clock”
[H/T Brooklyn Vegan]