Freshly Cut Grass are a new band made up of recent graduates of the Royal Welsh College Of Music And Drama, and their highly promising debut’s well worth a toke. Bright, brassy and brimming with ideas, Topiary (self-released) is clipped from prog’s jazzier (h)edges, its nods to Zappa, Herbie Hancock, Steely Dan and Snarky Puppy smuggled in via accessible, clever tunes. Their funky blend of mathy guitars, clever horns and sultry female vocals makes The Grass pretty unique in their, er, field.
Speaking of horns, Samuel Sharp (formerly known as Lossy) returns with Patterns Various (Boot Cycle Audio), a collection of “cyclic pieces for saxophone and electronics” inspired by “patternistic phenomena”. This is lovely, heady stuff. Sharp’s sweet sax lines are treated with digital delays to supply rhythmic movement, making for minimalist, hypnotically beautiful music that’s part Steve Reich, part Theo Travis.