Imagine Donald Fagen of Steely Dan producing and mixing down Giorgio Moroder from the highest of his high altitude peaks in the ’80s and maybe you can approach the music of Philadelphia’s M. Hook, at least as their sound is captured across the span of New River. The new album on Star Creature Universal Vibrations is almost irradiated by the intensity and tightly-wound focus of a studio savant or one-man-band.

Yet the complex arrangement of tracks like “Downtown Visions” doesn’t take away in the least from their catchiness — they’re sticky, very sticky songs. They dodge around a bit too. “Violet” starts with a kind of rote deep house intro before lifting off into nodding mental acid jazz. “New River” ties tempo in knots, evolving into something like electro jazz fusion. The difficulty in explaining what this is shouldn’t take away from an intense desire to hear a hundred more tracks just like it:

M. Hook’s New River LP is out now on digital and vinyl from Star Creature Universal Vibration.

M. Hook: New River (Star Creature Universal Vibration)
1. M. Hook: Downtown Visions (04:14)
2. M. Hook: Bright World (03:41)
3. M. Hook: Hand Style (03:05)
4. M. Hook: Violet (04:41)
5. M. Hook: New River (03:43)
6. M. Hook: All Day (05:02)
7. M. Hook: Thus (03:45)
8. M. Hook: Shadow Twin (05:11)
9. M. Hook: Vis a Vis (03:52)
10. M. Hook: Adrift (02:52)

⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was not submitted as a promo.

This was originally published in #Praise: 5 Mag Issue #194 with Norm Talley and Upstairs Asylum, Lea Lisa, Cratan/Decoder and more. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for as little as $1 per issue.