Review: Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders ‘Synchronous Orbit’
From the first notes of Synchronous Orbit, it’s impossible not to recognise the flavour of the Grateful Dead – especially their late 1960s era. Jeffrey Alexander is, without a doubt, one of the most creative and experimental musicians working today.
Since the early 2000s, he has gravitated toward classic psychedelic sounds, improvising across a wide range of projects. For those familiar with Mike Vest’s work, Alexander could be seen as an American counterpart, though only in terms of creative spirit, not musical style.
A recognized fan of ’60s psychedelia and avant-garde music, Alexander began his musical odyssey with The Iditarod and Black Forest/Black Sea, later diving deeper into the psychedelic current with Dire Wolves. He has also contributed to other experimental and free-form projects such as Jackie O Motherfucker and, more recently, The Heavy Lidders. With over 70 works under his belt, his influences merge avant-garde experimentation and free jazz with American classic rock à la Neil Young and the Grateful Dead, all wrapped in the raw, DIY energy of Meat Puppets and Dinosaur Jr.
Synchronous Orbit evokes the spirit of those extended psychedelic jams, even though half of the album consists of studio outtakes, and the other half is a live performance. It’s an improvisational album, divided into three tracks totalling nearly forty minutes. This is a voyage full of details – hypnotic, texturised and hallucinatory soundscapes. You can hear Jerry Garcia’s bluegrass-inflected phrasing fused with lysergic, never-ending solos, while the rest of the band plays as if silently orbiting the path.
The first two tracks, Star Power (Sun Flower Mix) and Bernal Afterburn, are New Earth Seed outtakes and features Jeffrey Alexander (guitars and vocals), Drew Gardner (guitar, vibraphone), Ryan Jewell (percussion), Jesse Sheppard (bass), Scott Verrastro (drums), and Kate Wright (vocals).
hypnotic, texturised and hallucinatory soundscapes…
Here, the Grateful Dead influence is strongest, with clean or slightly overdriven guitar lines. It’s nostalgic in the best sense of the word. Star Power runs over eleven minutes and features a standout vibraphone part that gives the piece its unique, almost spectral mood. Bernal Afterburn runs close to eight minutes and deepens that immersive feeling. Still grounded in Americana psychedelia, it leans more into a ‘70s vibe.
The third and final track offers a shift in tone as it features a slightly different lineup of Jeffrey Alexander (guitar), Isaiah Collier (saxophone, percussion, megaphone), and Aaron Dooley (bass). Taking up the entire B side of the vinyl, Plastistone Circle (Slight Return) is a twenty-minute piece recorded live at a psychedelic music festival in Milwaukee in 2024. This track is far more exploratory, echoing the jazz-psych abstractions of early Soft Machine.
Synchronous Orbit is a convincing entry in Jeffrey Alexander’s extensive discography. This record taps directly into the timeless spirit of ’60s and ’70s experimental avant-garde, making it a perfect trip for fans and newcomers alike.
For me, it was a sentimental journey – as a longtime fan of that kind of music, I truly enjoyed the record. In fact, I discovered this great musician while writing this very review. Regardless of its many influences, it’s simply a great live/studio jam – easy to enjoy, easy to get lost in.
Label: Cardinal Fuzz
Band Links: Official | Bandcamp | Spotify
Scribed by: Renzo
