Most bands think they are doing something new with music, moving it on, writing the next chapter, or acting as an essential part of its evolution. The reality is that few are. Most are doing little more than putting a new lick of paint on the same old musical jalopy or just sporting the sonic equivalent of the emperor’s new clothes.
I mention this to underline how fresh and forward-thinking NEEB is. Here, we have a band truly pushing the boundaries of where music goes next. The boundaries they chose to make are those in the vicinity of soul and jazz, but they take them through all manner of ambient and indie realms as they mould them into their gorgeous and gratifying sonic signature.
The opener and title track, “Take To The Sky,” acts like a musical sorbet, cleansing the listener’s palate with its deft blends and beautiful vocal textures, sharpening the senses and preparing you for the magnificence of the music to follow.
“Cave of Hands” is cinematic and serene, soul-drenched indie-pop, upbeat yet gentle and spacious. “All Caught Up” blends busy drums with delicate bass pulses and that succulent Rhodes chime, prevalent throughout the album, works its magic. “Wasted” is a glorious drift through ambient jazzscapes and sensitive soulfulness.
Take To The Sky is less an album of songs and more a sensory experience —music that is less about being listened to and more about allowing it to wash over you, perhaps absorbing it more through osmosis than via the usual senses. Not only does it create a logical next step for jazz, soul, ambient, and indie music forms, but the entire musical landscape becomes a much more exciting place for it to have floated through.