Often, I use the word ‘meandering’ as an insult when describing music or any other art form. However, ‘Synchronous Orbit’, the new album from Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders warrants that description but in the best possible connotations of the word. It is unhurried like a walk of exploration with no map and predefined agenda yet with a confidence that the guide will deliver you home safely. Its three tracks are not concerned with concision; the shortest piece, ‘Bernal Afterburn’, weighs in at nearly eight minutes while the concluding ‘Plastistone Circle (Slight Return)’ roams for twenty minutes, a complete LP side. This approach allows for something that is genuinely psychedelic rather than the lazily cranked-out guitar solos that often wallow in that description.

Alexander’s musical history has seen him develop a variety of styles. Initially, he made an impact with Iditarod in the mid-90s who produced an early version of what has been simplified into freak-folk. Next up was the experimental Black Forest / Black Sea in the 2000s, followed by the feedback grooves of Dire Wolves (not a comment on the Premier League team’s early season form.) Throw in a spell with Jackie-O Motherfucker, it all makes for an impressive CV. Since 2020, he has been productive leading a Philadelphia-based outfit including Drew Gardner and Jesse Shepherd of the exploratory guitar duo Elkhorn and Kohoutek’s drummer Scott Verrastro. ‘Synchronous Orbit’ is their sixth album.

It kicks off with ‘Star Power (Sun Flower mix)’, an early version of a song from their ‘New Earth Seed’ album. The track is stately and graceful, bolstered by measured and thoughtful percussion from Ryan Jewell together with guest vocals from Kate Wright of Movietone and Crescent. The way her murmured, almost soporific vocals blend with Alexander’s equally laidback voice is a balm that smooths out the gently knotty and intricate guitar work which creates the feel of perpetually stumbling and getting back up again, reflecting how walking in outer space might be. Probably due to the vocal’s qualities, it is the album’s most accessible and melodic track.

‘Bernal Afterburn’ references the place in San Francisco that Alexander lived in throughout his forties where he worked in science fiction museums. The jam has a vibe that reminded him of Bessie Street and a lingering sense of loss. There is a jazz-style quality to the drumming and the guitar-playing has an increasingly abrasive air, although never heading in the direction of power chords. While not sounding like either of them, the guitar playing is reminiscent of how the likes of Tom Verlaine and Eric Chenaux created their own distinct guitar style with solos that are astonishing and build their own world without indulging in the macho posturing usually associated with the term ‘guitar solo.’

‘Synchronous Orbit’ concludes with a live track recorded in May 2024 at the Milwaukee Psych Fest, ‘Plastistone Circle (Slight Return)’. Here, they are joined by jazz experimentalist, Isaiah Collier, on saxophone as well as bullhorn and bird calls. While there is a wildness to his playing, it is also self-contained. The pair only met five minutes before going onstage, although Alexander had sent some advance notes that Collier did not read. Having made a few ill-judged appearances in improv ensembles, I can vouch for how difficult it is to make improvised music that actually coheres but ‘Plastistone Circle’ manages this triumphantly. It ebbs, flows, builds, takes a breather, then roars. While the playing is extraordinary, it goes way beyond a display of technical virtuosity into something genuinely emotional.

If it is possible to meander into orbit, that is what ‘Synchronous Orbit’ does. It is a mesmerising journey into inner and outer space.

Jeffrey Alexander + the Heavy Lidders: Synchronous Orbit – Out 9 May 2025 (Feeding Tube / Cardinal Fuzz)

Power

I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.