BadBadNotGood - IV

Hello and welcome back! Today we are going to be looking at a personal favorite of mine: IV by BadBadNotGood (BBNG).

IV (July 8, 2016)

BBNG is an instrumental band based in Toronto, Canada, known for their jazz and hip-hop sound. The band consists of bassist Chester Hansen, drummer Alexander Sowinski, multi-instrumentalist Leland Whitty, and (formerly) keyboardist Matthew (Matty) Tavares. Founding members Tavares, Hansen, and Sowinski met in Humber College’s jazz program and formed BadBadNotGood in 2010. After years of frequent collaboration and touring with Whitty (saxophone, flute, guitar, violin, viola), he officially joined the band in 2016. Matty Tavares has since left the band but continues to work on solo music and production for other artists.

Maybe you are unfamiliar with their discography alone, but the band has produced, played backing tracks, and written for many famous artists and albums. Daniel Ceaser, Kendrick Lamar, Turnstile, Kali Uchis, and Thundercat are just a few names among the many who have collaborated with BBNG. On IV, BBNG features singers Samuel T. Herring and Charlotte Day Wilson, rapper Mick Jenkins, saxophonist Colin Stetson, and DJ/producer KAYTRANADA. The album consists of 11 tracks, running about 51 minutes long.

IV is the fourth studio album from BadBadNotGood, released in July 2016. With standout tracks like “Time Moves Slow” (yes, the same "Time Moves Slow" remixed by VANO 3000 that went viral on Tiktok), “Confessions Pt. II,” and “In Your Eyes,” the album is a genre-bending showcase of pure talent across a wide range of instruments and vocals. IV was born by compiling original songs the band had made with no clear direction except the end goal being a finished album. It can be slow at times and upbeat at others, but they always seem to prioritize rhythmic and melodic layering in a way that seems practiced yet also improvised simultaneously. Again, it is without an exact theme, but any listener can hear how well each song goes with the next.

I feel like instrumental albums tend to get that black-and-white film treatment in today's world. They're often overlooked by mainstream media and listeners because it can be “unfamiliar” to them. However, I believe this is one of the best instrumental albums to start with if that’s not your “thing.” Only 3 songs have vocals, but the music is very fluid within genres making it appealing to a much larger audience. Their ability to blend and fuse many genres to create their unique sound shows how much expertise and thought goes into their work, so let's look into some key tracks on the album.

Essential Tracks

Funny enough, this is the fourth track on the album. “Confessions Pt. II” is a clear showcase of Colin Stetson and Leland Whitty’s abilities on the saxophone. Stetson plays both bass and tenor sax, while Whitty is only on tenor sax for this song. I feel like this song in particular is such a clear example of their ability to layer so much without it becoming overbearing. It is 6 minutes and 24 seconds of the saxophones going back and forth in an almost conversational way, and although they are at the forefront of the song, Hansen and Sowinski manage to include their own interesting parts. We get a bass line that resembles the first notes heard by the saxophone when the song begins and a tasteful drum part that never takes away from that “main” idea at all.

Song number 7 and the title track of the album, “IV” is probably my highest recommendation for anyone who only decides to listen to one song off this album. It encapsulates BBNG’s entire being into one “thing.” "IV," tells a story by starting extremely fast and very colorful, then getting to a simple and slower middle section. It then slows down entirely and has the saxophone end the song. Tavares on keys and Whitty on tenor sax is the melody through and through. They take turns exchanging passages while still backing each other. One of my favorite aspects of this song though has to be Hansen’s bass part the entire way through. You might see me say this for every song, but it is true. We often see bass players get handed the short end of the stick with simple and repetitive bass lines, but that is never the case for BBNG. The song ends with a lengthy solo from Whitty, but it is the perfect “period” to end the story.

Until this point, except for “Lavender,” we haven’t fully seen the hip-hop side of BBNG on this album. Track 8, following right after “IV,” is “Hyssop of Love” featuring Mick Jenkins. We start very ominously, with the keys and a very low drum fill. This follows through the song entirely with Hansen added on bass and Whitty on electric guitar. Make no mistake though, the focus here is entirely on Jenkins. He raps of using love as his driving force through music and his success rather than selling out and falling victim to a disastrous lifestyle we see happen to many in the industry. His writing on this track is sending a message to the listener about the truths of the world and the industry that thrives on taking advantage of people. Mick Jenkins of course is his own artist, but resembles Outkast heavily and even makes a nod to them in this song, “And this flow is clearly inspired by the love below the TV/Sade coming out my mama speaker box.” Although the song differs in many ways from the rest of the album, it fits very well and adds much more depth to IV.

“In Your Eyes” is the third and final track including vocals, and is much more symphonic in comparison to the rest of the album. The use of violin and flute creates that very symphonic open sound that resembles a love song - which is perfect for this song’s subject matter. At the same time, the bass feels very funky, the acoustic guitar resembles a bossa-nova style, and Sowinski plays vibraphone incorporating that signature BBNG “jazz” sound. Charlotte Day Wilson is phenomenal on this song and quickly became one of my favorite vocalists after hearing “In Your Eyes” for the first time. She sings of her feelings toward another woman who unfortunately is in a relationship already. Wilson pleads with the woman to let go of her current situation and come to be with her, “So just rid yourself of him and come get it.” She sings emotionally of seeing the look in the other woman’s eyes and knowing she feels the same way towards her. This is my personal favorite off the album and is a song I think everyone should hear at least once.

Track 11, “Cashmere,” is the official end to IV. The band brings back their recurring jazz theme to finish the album. In addition to the band members playing their respective instruments, Tom Moffet plays trumpet and trombone. Matty Tavares on the piano is the main idea for this song. We hear him seemingly improvise a solo from beginning to end while everyone else provides the general backdrop. This changes only briefly for saxophone, trumpet, flute, and violin to have their own kind of horn line. I am a big believer in having the perfect song to end an album, and I find that BBNG always picks a perfect track and perfect ending to each album. “Cashmere” starts much calmer and eventually gets much louder and more intricate but ultimately calms again and ends on a classic outro where every player just plays out at once.

IV is my personal favorite from their discography and is a record I will always recommend to anyone. It transcends many genres and music types making it so appealing to listeners of all kinds. The album is available on every music platform, and I strongly advise you all to listen to it - even if it’s only one track.