by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
“Judgement Free Jazz” is the centerpiece of St. Louis / Chicago duo Fuck Lungs’ sophomore album, 2th, and it’s also a fitting title for the madness their music offers. The album, an exploration of all things two, finds the pair with fourteen new songs, all of which are exactly (and deliberately) two minutes in length. Their sound is a combination of free jazz, noise rock, and avant-garde composition, providing little to nothing in the form of accessibility. It’s jarring, frantic, and expansive, built on Joe Hess’ (Complainer) skittering drums and the skronk of Curt Oren’s sax and flute arrangements.
That lack of accessibility lends itself to the concept of the “Judgement Free Jazz” video, a delightful clip of friends, peers, and strangers listening to the music and reacting as they might. There are some familiar faces in the mix as we catch Ovlov/Stove’s Mike “Boner” Hammond, Mabel Suen (Skin Tags/Complainer), both Hannah Rainey (Shady Bug/Dub Nubb) and her twin sister Delia Rainey (Dub Nubb), an adorable pup, among others, immersed in the world of Fuck Lungs. There’s some great reactions, great non-reactions, and the proceeding comment, “it’s very free, the jazz is very free.”
Fuck Lungs’ 2th is out now via Already Dead Tapes and Records.