Josh Johnson is a saxophonist and composer who has played in the L.A. and Chicago jazz scenes, on records by artists such as Jeff Parker and Red Hot Chili Peppers (lending his saxophone to their 'Aquatic Mouth Dance' and to five tracks of the following album), and who released his first solo album in 2020. ‘Free Mechanical’ is from his upcoming record Unusual Object, which arrives April 5.

The album is described as ‘dreamlike’ on bandcamp, and this track fits that bill, right from the pitch-bent note in the opening seconds. Asides from the electronic snare, which comes and goes, no element of the song is easily graspable. Many of those elements, though, are enchanting, either in their sound or the note choices – both in the case of Johnson’s saxophone.

The synth parts from 0:17 sound like a machine going wrong, teetering on the edge of combustion, but there’s just enough harmony in there to be musical. A couple of slightly out of tune chords are played shortly before 0:30. The fact things seem to be going wrong make the electronic sounds seem more human.

From 0:58, a repeating two-note bassline blurs the line between a percussion and melodic instrument. It functions basically as a drum and is the main accompaniment to Johnson’s saxophone. He achieves a beautiful tone, edging on breathy, which lends a warmth to even the more wandering phrases, such as at 1:19.

The sax solo, while alluring, is unclear in its direction. That’s not a criticism – part of its appeal is in its ambiguousness. After the solo, the snare on every second beat suddenly makes the track seem like it’s moving forward. A more melodic bassline also enters, along with a keyboard chord progression which helps give a sense of direction to a piece without an obvious structure. Little about this track is obvious, which makes every second more interesting.