Genre: Psychedelic/Electronic

Track Listing:

01 Headies

P.J.B., which at times stands for "Psychedelic Jam Band" and other times "Paul Joyner Band," has been a staple of the Washington D.C. post-punk and indie live circuit. Promising completely improvised music with a strong dance atmosphere, the group is known in the Virginia/ D.C./Maryland axis as one of the best and most constantly engaging live acts. This release documents a particularly strong lineup of the group, here a three-piece consisting of Paul Joyner, his brother Miles Joyner, and Sum Of Heroes founder Andrew Wondju. The entire cassette consists of one long track, and it is a marathon session that these guys have embarked upon. Opening with a quick sort of disco rhythm, the beginning of the track is extremely manic and filled with a very rapid succession of melodic saxophone and vocal samples projected by frontman Paul Joyner. Extremely boisterous, and gradually shifting into a very relaxed and astoundingly thick groove. The music chills out significantly and gets into a very powerful and subdued section. The second movement starts out very minimally and shows off some rather impressive militaristic drumming that carries the track into another insane excursion into the outer limits of rock and techno.

PJB's music hearkens back to the 1970's, having as much in common with German experimental rock of that era as it does with Fela Kuti's Afrobeat or Giorgio Moroder's disco. However, PJB alchemizes these disparate elements into a unique and new sound that is not quite like anything that has come before. Another comparison would be perhaps Miles Davis' 1970s electro-funk band playing in modern times on a bill with indie-rock groups. Every now and then there will be a guitar sound or vocal inflection that will betray the American indie background of this project, but for the most part these are full-on aggressive jams that sound like they could have come from the Congo or Egypt circa 2055 AD. Most of the sections of this release are driven by the eerie and addictive samples provided by the younger Miles and fleshed out to perfection by Paul's precise and insane feats of drumming.

This is a very interesting and enjoyable incarnation of this project. This group seems to be going in a very interesting direction, and future releases promise to be completely mind-blowing. As it stands, this is a powerful document of soul-stripping and floor-destroying funk. Very heavy and steady music for people looking for something that is dance-worthy and a little bit on the weird tip. Recommended for adventurous listeners.