We Like It Here

Funky jazz with an improvisational jamband feel and an eclectic global set of sounds from Afrobeat horns to latin percussion alongside the corny 80s shredder guitars, Framptony talkbox guitars, cheesy keyboards, electronica beats, smooth supermarket easy listening and prog-inflected riffing. Some of the grooves are good, especially the afrobeat Jambone. Way too busy though, kind of stressful.

I was relistening to the Vulfpeck live album when I generated this, which is a funny coincidence because both albums are similar in that both Vulfpeck and Snarky Puppy are talented bands that play technical music. The differences make and break the albums however, Vulfpeck's studio work feels very sterile but they put a lot of fun into their live shows, Snarky Puppy do not and instead their live shows are all technique.

I remember Snarky Puppy being a band that were popular with college kids when I was there, and based on my interactions in the generator discord, it seems like everyone has a certain friend or acquaintance that insisted that they must check out this band. Fortunately Snarky Puppy fans seem to be smart enough to keep their mouth shut so they haven't gained the same reputation as Tool, Phish, or Grateful Dead.

That is to say I have checked Snarky Puppy out and I wasn't particularly impressed, however this album caught my attention immediately. The start of the album is phenomenal the first song is typical jazz fusion with a rocky undertone, before the second song flourishes into a rocking prog track. I don't know if the rockiness of the album is an intentional choice or a result of the band becoming more rock in a live setting (a pretty common phenomenon) but the energy from these first two tracks really give you something to hook onto compared to their more typical jazz affair.

Unfortunately from the third track onwards the band loses a lot of juice for me, and by the time of the penultimate song I was ready for it to be over. Fortunately the album is only 55 minutes long so it doesn't feel like it drags at all, were it any longer I probably would have started disliking it. Sorry but I just don't like jam bands or any bands that focus entirely on improv. The last song fortunately ends on a bang though.

Should it be in the main list: God no please no more jam bands

Top 3 songs: Shofukan, What About Me?, Lingus

Favorite songs: What About Me?, Jambone, Sleeper

Least favorite songs: Kite

3/5

I'm into jazz fusion. great drum work by Larnell on this album.

I still don't really *get* jazz(/fusion), but I fully accept that it is my issue, not a fault of any of the artists.
As for this album, I thought it was cool, and enjoyed listening to it, but I would struggle to adequately explain why!

Enjoyed this, but got a feeling they are one of those bands who you need to see live to truly get.

I think if I was the kind of person who knew how to read music, or had a better understand music theory, I'd also be the kind of person who'd appreciate this album. Alas...