MONKEY JOCKEY MAN AND THE SAFARI TICK SUGAR

New adventurous Ohio based prog band on the block, PERFECT released one crazy little debut in 2022 which looked homebound for inspiration rather than digging through the vaults across the pond in the prog rich UK and European scenes. Forging a very eclectic style that encompassed some of the best prog bands the USA has had to offer, PERFECT carried the torch of various stellar prog bands like Yezda Urfa, Mirthrandir, Happy The Man, Pentwater, McLuan and pretty much any other unique musical entity that was stomping around the USA in the 1970s.

Pretty much suffering the same fate of being completely ignored by the prog mainstream, the adventurous self-titled debut still hasn't captured a lot of attention but nevertheless the band continues on and two years later in 2024 has released its sophomore followup with a much more memorable title! MONKEY JOCKEY MAN AND THE SAFARI TICK SUGAR is definitely an album title that isn't going to pull up any competing results in a search engine. This second offering features six distinct tracks that exceed the 44-minute mark and continues the wild and unhinged prog parade that the debut delivered in abundance.

The band has been trimmed down a bit. while Sam Hold (guitar), Jake Ross (drums), Sam Colgrove (bass, keys) and Ian Palmerton (vocals, guitar, percussion) are back for the attack, members Michael Weber (keys, percussion) and Eric Perez (alto sax, tenor sax, guitar) seemed to have dropped out. They are replaced by Sean Morton who handles keys only. With no horn section to be heard the sound is also a bit truncated but it's nothing to worry about because these restless proggers are chock filled with manic energy, technical wizardry and a sense of purpose that continues to keep them in a strange little world of their own making. The album should come with a warning: FOR SEASONED PROGGERS ONLY! This is ridiculously complex music with so many thematic changes and time signature workouts that it will make your head spin.

The band doesn't waste any time with its too much of a good thing. The sprawling 16 1/2 opener "Christ Excavations" begins with a series of freaky electronic sounds, back masking record sounds and a whole lotta weirdness before jumping around its usual mix of spastic Yezda Urfa prog pacified with Happy The Man chill out moments, Thank You Scientist swancore influenced math rock and pretty much any unexpected hairpin excursion you can think of. While melodic in nature, this a collection of unreleased melodies that sort of come and go like a rotating exhibit or a parody of a fashion show. This is the kind of music many will say isn't music and it's no wonder that that many do not gravitate to this style of crazy prog because it's just so unpredictable and leaves the listener struggling to follow.

But that's the whole point! Do you go to the amusement park to ride a wild roller coaster only to feel comfort or do you want to be scared shitless? Well i wouldn't call this music scary but it is most definitely challenging. It seems anything goes although within the perimeters of a nerdy Yezda Urfa prog style with lots of math rock jitteriness. If ever the tag brutal prog applied, then a band like PERFECT fits the bill, perfectly! Despite the lack of a horn section there are still moments of jazz-fusion as are there moments of King Crimson, of Gentle Giant, of Ruins, of well pretty much any band that was just plain nuts. This second album seems to have even less fucks to give as it just goes for the brutal prog jugular.

Sure not everyone's bailiwick but if you like prog as adventurous as it gets and complex for complexity's sake then you can't go wrong with PERFECT and on MONKEY JOCKEY MAN AND THE SAFARI TICK SUGAR you can expect a musical experience as bizarre and demanding and freaked out as the album title insinuates. This release even features bizarre industrial noise sections such as on "Tick Sugar." Harsh, brutal and not even remotely user friendly, this one is for the hardcores who love the heck outa strange, alienating musical processions that give a middle finger to any conventionalities. I love it!