Just as Toronto’s prog-leaning art punks DD/MM/YYYY called it quits in 2011 three-quarters of the band (Mike Claxton Matt King and Moshe Rozenberg) immediately reincarnated into Absolutely Free. Named after the 1967 Mothers of Invention album Absolutely Free certainly had Zappa and his individualistic and unrestricted philosophy in mind (though not his patented moustache and soul patch combo).
After releasing a couple of 12-inch singles on Fucked Up guitarist Mike Haliechuck’s One Big Silence label they tapped him as producer for their full-length debut. Anyone expecting traces of DD/MM/YYYY’s convulsive outbursts or even more of what the 12-inches hinted at will be surprised with this self-titled album; Absolutely Free really do take their name seriously.
“Window of Time” and “Blurred Lens” are both beautifully amorphous blobs that ascend without really delivering a climax instead just fluttering with a weighty impassioned pull. And the Caribou comparisons they’ve been flattered with of late are on full display with the spacious pop of “Beneath the Air” and “Striped Light.”
The eight-minute album closer “Spiral Jetty” ends Absolutely Free’s debut on a high note quite literally soaring into the ether with a whirling effect that suggests like their sonic forebears Animal Collective countless thrills and surprises are all we should expect from this band.
