12twelve

Hailing from Barcelona, and one of Europe’s most liberal-minded music scenes, 12twelve are an instrumental, free jazz band that conjure musical landscapes of freak horn-blasts and prog-type rhythms leading into mellowed out with West coast cool. Using the prize money from winning a prestigious music competition in Spain, they financed sessions with Chicago icon Steve Albini, who produced their 2003 release Speritismo and currently L’Univers. Imagine Albini behind the decks for a Sun Ra session with the United States of America lending their druggy sounds and Lalo Schifrin adding some film noir themes, and you start to get an idea of 12twelve’s sound. "Mr. Gesus” is a tight jazz rhythm song with sharp blasts of saxophone that finds the balance between melody and polymorphous instrumental experimentalism. Those who like a good combination of left-field sounds and have one Tortoise album too many are advised to look this up.