Jake Ferguson
's
Emotions Run Dry
-- featuring longtime musical partner and
Heliocentrics
co-founder
Malcolm Catto
-- is the second release from the
Madlib Invazion Library Series
, co-founded by the visionary producer and
Now-Again
label founder
Egon Alapatt
. Their goal was to release 12 monthly albums between June 2023 and 2024, that would stand alone in an artist's catalog and provide a one-stop clearance shop for background music or use in film and television production and sampling, thus evoking the spirit of historic music library labels (
KPM
,
Sonor
DeWolfe
, etc.).
is the label's second release, sandwiched between
JJ Whitefield
Ethio Meditations/Drama Al Dente
, and
J-Zone
Intoxicated Skull
. Future titles will feature contributions from
DJ Muggs
Karriem Riggins
Mario Luciano
, and others. Though he is
the Heliocentrics
' bassist,
Ferguson
is an intensely capable multi-instrumentalist and producer. He founded and leads
the Brkn Record
and plays in
the Soul Destroyers
with
Catto
and
Adrian Owusu
.
Totaling just over 40 minutes, these 11 tracks range across and often combine multiple genres, from post-punk and dub to country, contemporary jazz-funk, rock, and world fusion, offering startling ambient textures, trippy synths, tense, tropical, and nocturnal atmospheres, and more. The musical architecture and sequencing in these tracks allow them to be heard and absorbed separately, though in this context they contribute to a seamless sonic and stylistic melange providing a cohesive and even compelling whole.
Along the way,
pays homage to some of his musical heroes. Opener "Freestyling," with
, is a dubby instrumental paying homage to
Public Image Ltd.
's classic
Metal Box
, specifically "Careering" and "Albatross." "21st Century Blues" weds an arid, spaghetti western melody to a cut-time country shuffle led by overdubbed harmonicas, percussion, and bass. "Well Well Well" (with
) nods to
Miles Davis
' early-'70s albums such as
Jack Johnson
On the Corner
. It contains cracking breakbeats and percussion, fuzzy, grooving wah-wah guitars, Rhodes piano, organ, analog synth, and a rumbling, swaggering, strutting bassline that holds the tune aloft. "String Fantasy" commences with summery, acoustic guitar framed by bass and jazzy beats that eventually transform into the main riff from
the Stooges
"Be Your Dog." "I Wonder" roughly jumbles blues, a hard rock shuffle, and a jazz vamp in a hypnotic cue. The title track, the set's longest, finds
creating a breezy yet cohesive musical narrative from surf guitars, loads of reverb and echo, and an intricate bassline that frames the drum patterns. More layered electric guitar and tastefully employed keyboards drive the riff. While "Salamander'' jaggedly stitches dub, post-punk, and spiritual jazz, closer "Dune" offers a tapestry of acoustic and electric guitar sounds guided by a spidery bassline, whispering cymbals, taut snares, and resonant hi-hat. It would make a perfect cue for a tense cinematic adventure sequence.
accomplishes two important things: First, it firmly establishes
as a thoughtful, commanding musician and producer; secondly, it does an excellent job of achieving the label's aesthetic goals. ~ Thom Jurek