Chicago-based vocalist Keri Johnsrud and saxophonist Shawn Maxwell have come together to compose an album telling the story of what is, for most of us, a standard day. From waking up early and dealing with traffic and other daily obstacles to eventually heading home to once again sleep, one thing is constant: C8 H10 N4 O2. This is the chemical formula for caffeine. A helpful and, for some, necessary tool to help get to the end of the day. Throughout the album and in between daily routines, each member of the band performs a solo track based on their own personal form of caffeine intake and their own personal spin on the tune. At the conclusion of the album they all join forces to perform this once again. Keri and Shawn produced C8H10N4O2 and the album features Tom Vaitsas on Fender Rhodes and Wurlitzer, Tim Seisser on bass, and Lucas Gillan on drums.
C8H10N4O2 greets the day with “Peace (7:20AM),” a short, percolating composition based around keys, wordless vocals, sax, bass and drums, and the album single “Chaos,” and early indication that the first infusion of caffeine may be in order. The song infers the disarray of a hectic morning by incorporating wailing, increasingly free-form sax over a more traditional jazz structure until those more trad elements (the keyboards, especially) spin dizzy circles around the kitchen.
“Sticky Toffee” is another short piece built entirely around Tom Vaitsas’s subtle keyboard work while “Doomscrolling,” the longest track on the album, flirts with Jazz Fusion. “Leaded Lift,” another brief piece at one minute forty-four seconds, is super minimal and perhaps an indication that another cup of Joe is in order.
The cryptically-titled “At Least Seven Times” has a bit of Eastern tonality while “The Doctor’s Drink” spotlights Johnsrud’s elastic vocals. “Heading to Nowhere,” the album’s second-longest track, has discernible, poetic lyrics while “Necessary Ink” is drummer Lucas Gillan’s percussive highlight.
“Shortcuts & Traffic Jams” comes late enough in the song cycle to invoke that maybe the work day has ended but another caffeine fix is needed, while “Consuming the Bull” is a playful nod to Red Bull (perhaps mixed with something stronger) and Maxwell’s solo workout.
The album’s title track signals the end of the day and the final cut “Peace (11:54PM)” is a reworking of the first track and one that lulls the listener to sleep; perhaps the final serving of java wasn’t “Go Juice” but a cup of decaf instead.
https://shawnmaxwell.bandcamp.com/album/c8h10n4o2
https://www.shawnmaxwell.com/
https://www.kerijohnsrud.com/
