While they may not be as instantly recognizable a supergroup as, say, Power Station or Chickenfoot, the men who make up About Group all have impressive resumes. Band leader Alexis Taylor is the singer for English dance rockers Hot Chip; Charles Hayward drummed for legendary post-punkers This Heat; John Coxon has slung his six-string on for gospel space cases Spiritualized and is one half of Spring Heel Jack; and keyboardist Pat Thomas has jammed with jazz greats Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley, among others. That's a lot of talent for one band to have, and you will get your chance to check out what they have in store via their new album Start and Complete.
A press release for the album, which will be issued by Domino on April 26, explains that the new record was recorded on the fly to achieve a mostly improvised feel. Taylor had been working on the songs by himself over the past couple of years but didn't share much more than a few piano demos with his bandmates prior to hitting the famed Abbey Road for a one-day recording session.
This apparently ended up giving the record its fresh feel. "The idea was that no one band member would know the songs well enough to have specific parts, or be prevented from playing something like the first ideas that came into their head," the release reads.
And off the cuff is the lifestyle the group follows. They had initially got together in 2009 to record a similarly improvised set of tunes for the Treader imprint.
You can catch a glimpse of the band working on the smooth-funk number "You're No Good" below.
Start and Complete:
1. "Married To The Sea (a)"
2. "Don't Worry"
3. "With Each New Day"
4. "Repair Man"
5. "Lay Me Down"
6. "A Perspective"
7. "There's a Way To End This Run of Doubt"
8. "A Sinking Song"
9. "Nothing But Words"
10. "You're No Good"
11. "Rough and Smooth"
12. "Start and Complete"
13. "Dreamt I Saw You Late Last Night"
14. "Married To The Sea (b)"
A press release for the album, which will be issued by Domino on April 26, explains that the new record was recorded on the fly to achieve a mostly improvised feel. Taylor had been working on the songs by himself over the past couple of years but didn't share much more than a few piano demos with his bandmates prior to hitting the famed Abbey Road for a one-day recording session.
This apparently ended up giving the record its fresh feel. "The idea was that no one band member would know the songs well enough to have specific parts, or be prevented from playing something like the first ideas that came into their head," the release reads.
And off the cuff is the lifestyle the group follows. They had initially got together in 2009 to record a similarly improvised set of tunes for the Treader imprint.
You can catch a glimpse of the band working on the smooth-funk number "You're No Good" below.
Start and Complete:
1. "Married To The Sea (a)"
2. "Don't Worry"
3. "With Each New Day"
4. "Repair Man"
5. "Lay Me Down"
6. "A Perspective"
7. "There's a Way To End This Run of Doubt"
8. "A Sinking Song"
9. "Nothing But Words"
10. "You're No Good"
11. "Rough and Smooth"
12. "Start and Complete"
13. "Dreamt I Saw You Late Last Night"
14. "Married To The Sea (b)"
