Arcade
GB, 2020
9/10
The Griffith Hiltz trio had to detour from their usual recording of live off the floor to make this social distanced album, where Nathan Hiltz, Johnny Griffith and Neil MacIntosh documented their portions in basements and laundry rooms before layering it together to produce their most experimental outing to date.
After the listen opens up with the video game sounds of the brief “Movie Theme III: Transmogrification”, “Do Not Engage” follows with playful synth against jazz ideas in the highly unusual fusion that’s not short on sax prowess from Griffith.
Closer to the middle, “Ladies From The Eighties” indeed feels indebted to earlier decades as warm brass and frisky synth align for a soulful meets futuristic approach, while “Paper War (For Mike Post)” glides with a very modern jazz delivery that’s immediately memorable. “Rocket Surgeon”, a highlight late in the album, then flows both gracefully and adventurously, as the three blend seemingly opposing ideas into one cohesive formula.
Deeper yet, the prominent drumming from MacIntosh on “Thunder Ninja” helps illuminate its unique atmosphere, and “End Of The Line” exits the listen very much on the electronic side of the equation as the trio illustrate their retro roots.
An appropriately titled outing, imagine placing contemporary jazz sounds in an ‘80s video game with some hints of sci-fi and you get an idea of how interesting things become. Griffith Hiltz Trio are no strangers to praise, as their 2009 album was heralded as Best Album Of The Year by Jazz FM, and it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Arcade sees a similar fate.
Travels well with: Modasaurus- 4K; Doxas Brothers- The Circle