Lullaby for the Lost

David Bowies Blackstar, released in 2016 just two days before his death, changed the direction of saxophonist Donny McCaslins music -- certainly 2016s Beyond Now, 2018s Blow, and 2023s I Want More all bear that influence. Each record was darker than the last. On Lullaby for the Lost, McCaslins band easily reflect the Bowie influence, but their evolved sound in 2025 is on another level. This set pushes the music to a jagged, innovative intersection that draws equally on art rock and indie rock, electronica, film music, and 21st century avant-funk. The sophisticated production is handled by longtime member bassist/guitarist Tim Lefebvre. The rest of the band includes returning keyboardist Jason Lindner; bassist Jonathan Maron; alternating drummers Nate Wood, Mark Giuliana, and Zach Danziger; and guitarists Ben Monder and Ryan Dahle. Album opener "Wasteland" commences with layered, shard-like guitar, a droning bassline, and edgy ambient keyboards. McCaslin articulates the melody before the band offers a low-end vamp as he begins a fire-breathing sax solo over an increasingly gritty, distorted backdrop while the work becomes an act of intense melodic skronk. "Solace" weds industrial and prog-rock to an open-field harmony before jumping into glorious, contemporary fusion courtesy of Monders soaring guitar. The last half pries out swinging soul-jazz and funk to underscore the groove. On "Blond Crush," Danzigers kit is the engine. Monder and Ryan Dahles guitars jut over pulsing synths and electric basses in a tune that channels punk, glam, girl group pop and prog. Its actually hummable. "Celestial" is the albums centerpiece. Out of the gate, there are undulating synth loops painted by layered synths and ambience before Danzigers kit opens the gate for McCaslins winding, loping solo that binds together contemporary jazz, R&B, skittering prog-rock, and ecstatic grooves. The title cut initially sounds like doom metal with its angular guitar and synth bass prodded by a thudding drum progression. McCaslin allows the melody out one bitty at a time, even as the band holds dynamic tension while waiting for him to meet the progression before he solos. If Van Der Graaf Generator were born in the 21st century, they might sound like this. As the vamps tension increases, McCaslins sax eggs them on, bleating and squawking, rising above the dense mix and then twisting down into it. "KID" is played by a trio with Lefevbre on bass, guitar, and synths, while Giuliana handles the drum kit. The circular progression channels post-bop and R&B before expanding into a psychedelic sound tunnel that never forsakes its central vamp. Closer "Mercy" is based on a gloomy ambient progression with guitars, bass, and synths. McCaslins soloing is melodic and modal; he bridges the tension with other instruments in a mournful fantasia. Lullaby for the Lost is the album made possible by a decades worth of soul searching, and McCaslins increasingly idiosyncratic, boundary-less, and masterful approach to modern jazz. ~ Thom Jurek