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Apr 01, 2026 Web Exclusive By Matthew Berlyant

Back in 1991, jazz guitar legend Sonny Sharrock released his final album, the masterful Ask the Ages, accompanied by a murderers’ row of talent backing him, including saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, drummer Elvin Jones, and others (including double bassist Charnett Moffett). It was produced by none other than Bill Laswell.

At the same time, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty (now of The Messthetics) were playing in their own legendary quartet, the incomparable Fugazi, influencing the sound, look, and feel of ’90s (and later) post-hardcore and alternative rock in general to a degree that is still being felt today. They released their second full-length album, the still underrated Steady Diet of Nothing, that year.

Thus, it feels somehow oddly appropriate that 35 (!) years later, Canty and Lally have teamed up with jazz saxophonist James Brandon Lewis for their second album together (the first, self-titled, came out in 2024) on the Impulse! label, a now ongoing collaboration that stemmed from an initial one-off performance.

And, yes, while their new album takes many cues from the aforementioned Ask the Ages, it’s also important to note the differences as well as the trajectories of the musicians involved here. On their first two albums for Dischord, The Messthetics were (and still are when Lewis is unavailable for live shows) a trio of Canty, Lally, and virtuoso, Larry Carlton-like guitarist Anthony Pirog, producing two albums of instrumental, jazz-inflected prog-punk.

On their self-titled Impulse! Records debut, they moved towards jazz fusion with the addition of Lewis’ post-bop and free jazz-inspired saxophone. Now, they embrace it fully on the at-times mind-melting Deface the Currency, sounding like a quartet becoming more comfortable with each other and filling in the blanks, creating their most confident and assured album yet.

Yes, there are Sharrock-like guitar explosions aplenty from Pirog on some of the tracks, but there are also quieter, more introspective passages aplenty as well. (www.themessthetics.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10