Businessless
Drip Audio, 2023
9/10
The Canadian experimental outfit Sick Boss are spearheaded by the guitarist and songwriter Cole Schmidt, who guides the sextet through 6 chamber influenced tunes.
The unpredictable energy of “Useless Genius 1” opens the listen with Dan Gaucher’s animated drums alongside James Meger’s buzzing synth that suits Schmidt’s driving guitar, and “When The Buzzards Leave The Bones” follows with Josh Zubot’s plucked violin taking focus across the avant-garde presence of string manipulation.
“Useless Genius 2” and “Doctor Dawn” land in the middle, where the former drones with a hint of ominousness that benefits from Zubot’s thick bass and JP Carter’s booming trumpet, while the latter is a more intimate moment of rich brass, agile strings and crisp drumming.
At the end, the dense bouts of “Useless Genius 3” bridges hard rock with chamber nods that are highly creative, and “CJ Blues” exits with the most gentle moment of gorgeous cello via Peggy Lee that blends in nice with the dreamy finish.
You won’t have a hard time appreciating similarities to Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Tortoise when spending time with Businessless, and the precise textures, agile grooves and exciting interplay warrant repeated listens.
Travels well with: Malleus Trio- On/Off; Christopher Whitley- Describe Yourself