Robert Diack

Lost Villages // Independent

It goes without saying that jazz musicians are the best players in the world. This is why you learn jazz if you choose an education in music. There is no genre more technical and difficult to master. Until recently, these players have been stuck in the jazz-hole, preaching the standards of the past as if jazz had nowhere else it needed to go. Finally, (and thanks in large part to badbadnotgood) we are starting to see these musicians expand genres with their mind numbing abilities. Robert Diack’s debut album is post-rock infused with jazz and played by an individual that has a deeper understanding of music than most. This makes for an incredible listen as his technical prowess is hard to miss. The album was inspired by nine communities and townships in Southern Ontario whose residents were forcibly removed to make way for the St. Laurence Seaway. If you listen attentively you can hear the moment the water was set free, a cacophony of sound wipes through the end of “Reliquary” that forces images of homes being devoured by the water’s powerful force. The improvisational track that follows brings a feeling of uncertainty. What will become of the displaced residents? What will the new body of water look like? How will this impact the future? Post-rock is known for it’s ability to tell a story without words, it’s told through an emotional connection to sound. Robert Diack’s Lost Villages surges to the top of the heap of this genre’s must hear albums, a brilliant example of how much better music would be if the jazz world opened it’s heart and mind to the idea of cross pollination.