Mac Blackout has a new track “Wandering Spheres” from his first solo album in seven years, Love Profess, out November 27th on Trouble In Mind Records. The work of Chicago-based musician and artist Mark McKenzie, he has fronted a variety of Windy City outfits like The Functional Blackouts, Mickey, and Mac Blackout Band, as well as solo pursuits and work as an acclaimed visual artist. On his upcoming Mac Blackout release, McKenzie seems to turn the page on his musical past while striking out in a bold new direction that combines free jazz elements and analog synthesizer with a minimalist pop aesthetic.
While recent years have seen him shift from music to his visual pursuits, Blackout assures us:
“This break from solo music creation resulted in years of internalized ideas, unexpressed energy, and the calling to explore new creative directions musically.”
On “Wandering Spheres,” this burgeoning of new ideas is immediately apparent. Opening with a noisy blast of saxophone and analog synthesizer, this track’s palpable energy explodes out of the speakers from the get-go. Just as this track is representative of Blackout’s creative rebirth, in sound it harkens to a time in the ’60s when free jazz and fusion were emblematic of a new and exuberant musical energy. At the same time though, the cut couches these fiery stylings in a minimalist pop approach that only expands on the song’s dynamic emotional range.
While the composition is notable for its dramatic tension and musical ingenuity, what is most striking is the deep passion imbued in McKenzie’s horn playing. He explains:
“2020 has been unlike any time in history. With these hard times comes great emotion, reflection, and realization. This album is an instrumental reflection and chronological portrait of the period in which it was created, January through July 2020.”
With that said, the horn on “Wandering Spheres” seems to ache with a collective call for justice. Chaotic and squelching tones soon give way to a lament that channels that deep collective sadness that lies beyond the power of mere words to express. Coupled with the threnody-like throb of synthesizer and a tender, open-hearted piano-part, this track might truly be called “spiritual,” as it transforms powerful pain into an uplifting resilience.
