Flock: Flock II

Flock is composed of five of the most venturesome musicians in British jazz. Reeds and woodwind player Tamar Osborn, drummers and percussionists Bex Burch and Sarathy Korwar, and keyboard players Danalogue the Conqueror and Al Macsween. Separately and collaboratively, they have since the late 2010s given us landmark genre-crossing albums in bands including Emanative, The Comet Is Coming, Vula Viel, Collocutor, Dele Sosimi's Afrobeat Orchestra, Upaj Collective and Kefaya.

So the auguries look good for Flock's sophomore release, the follow-up to Flock (Strut, 2022). The debut album was recorded in a single day. Flock II was recorded during a week-long immersive session at Druidstone, a secluded retreat on the west Wales coast. Still looking good.

Flock II comprises ten lyrical electro-acoustic soundscapes, imaginatively conceived and played on novel combinations of keyboards, reeds, woodwinds, drums and percussion. It moves between the gentle and the energised, but mostly stays at the chill-out end of the spectrum. Anyone looking for an entertaining sonic space odyssey without xenomorphs should climb aboard.

That said, it is hard to escape the feeling that the album could have been more than it is, given the personnel. The problem ultimately comes down to the length of the tracks. Total playing time is under 35 minutes, so that each track here averages less than 3.5 minutes, the length of a pop song. Enough time to set out the theme, offer a couple of embellishments, and then reprise it—but not long enough for meaningful exploration of the possibilities. And, to close where we began, the musicians who make up this group are known above all for daring to explore. They could make a five-track 35-minute album that would kick everybody's ass. Bottom line: a missed opportunity.