'the trials of bunny john' by the space travelers union

'the trials of bunny john' marks the debut full-length release by the space travelers union whose inspired new project finds its home through Folded Music's new sub-label, Most Least.

While Asta Hiroki's Folded Music label has served as an independent beacon for innovative electronic music from artists like fthmlss, Catch92, Mick Destitute and Hiroki himself, it's exciting to see that level of care and attention turn towards innovative jazz via Most Least.  A comparatively young label, we've already seen some wonderful releases from A. McCall, new signees in Biomania (who we're also particularly excited about), and of course the early single releases for the union.

Founded by saxophonist and band leader Ryan Wheless, the space travelers union put forth a thrilling and progressive perspective on jazz that pays loving homage to tradition but also embraces the opportunity to create music that forges ahead to carve out its own path for itself.

With compositions that rely heavily on improvisation, Wheless' influences have found themselves cultivated from his extended time of study and performance in New York - as well as having attended Boston's revered Berklee College of Music - alongside his current home in Tucson, Arizona.  

It's certainly a stark contrast - the bright lights and vibrancy of the big city juxtaposed with the unmitigated and natural beauty of the desert.  And it's a contrast that is fairly apt when regarding the music throughout 'the trials of bunny john' - the band's penchant for twinges of an electronic aesthetic is skillfully interwoven into the collective's improvised live instrumentation.  It's a technique that ultimately spawns some exceptional results that, again, pull together these seemingly disparate (musical) environments creating a new not-often explored middle ground.

The album's ten tracks create a variety of enthralling pieces - some that burst with energy and others that embrace the solace of introspection.  Clocking in at just over eight minutes, 'hope' is a sensational number that delivers an early standout for the album - with numerous twists and turns, the track that served as the band's first single boasts a narrative all of its own.  In many ways, this is a characteristic that could be attributed to almost any of the album's contributions.  

'the trials of bunny john' is an album that lives and dies by its own personality and charisma , which is exuded in abundance throughout the album.  It's an album that does justice to the space travelers union as well as to Most Least who have set an early high bar for releases going forward.