| Jazz moderne |
Hellbent Daydream: Brandon Seabrook and the Architecture of Uncompromising Sound
There is a moment, often early, sometimes jarring, when a record makes it clear that it will not meet the listener halfway. Hellbent Daydream is one of those albums. From its opening gestures, it announces itself less as a collection of songs than as a constructed environment, a space to be entered with attention and curiosity. That stance aligns perfectly with the ethos of Pyrolastic Records, a label distinguished by its dedication to original, high-level projects that frequently defy classification. This release may be among its most uncompromising yet.
The scope of the project makes sense when viewed through the lens of its creator. Brandon Seabrook, guitarist, bandoneonist, and composer, has long operated at the crossroads of disciplines, styles, and scenes. What unfolds here might initially be labeled jazz fusion, but that description quickly proves inadequate. Punk rock’s urgency, the structural elasticity of jazz, the directness of pop, and the abrasive density of metal all surface, not as stylistic quotations but as raw materials in a larger compositional vision. The result is music that feels almost cinematic in its construction. One can easily imagine it accompanying the work of filmmakers drawn to psychological tension, surreal narratives, or fractured storytelling, directors for whom strangeness is not a decorative flourish but a narrative engine.
Importantly, jazz is only one pillar of this architecture. Classical music, particularly contemporary classical traditions, plays an equally central role. A key figure on New York’s avant-garde scene, Seabrook has been described by Rolling Stone critic Hank Shteamer as a musician whose ensembles combine “impressive technique, frenetic intensity, and an original compositional vision.” Premier Guitar’s Ryan Reed went even further, calling him an “architect of chaos,” an artist capable of navigating everything from jazz fusion to brutal prog and heavy rock. These descriptions, rather than contradicting one another, form a composite portrait of an artist who thrives in multiplicity.
Seabrook’s collaborative history reinforces that impression. His work alongside Cécile McLorin Salvant, David Byrne, and Mike Watt reads less like genre tourism than a statement of artistic openness. Few contemporary musicians move so fluidly between worlds that are often kept rigidly separate. Nothing appears off-limits, and that freedom is clearly audible here. This is not an album designed to reassure or to please indiscriminately. If it alienates some listeners, that is almost certainly not a concern. The project operates at the level of pure creation, where the only real constraints are those imposed by the artist’s own imagination.
Conceptually, Hellbent Daydream functions as both an intellectual and sculptural endeavor. The sound itself feels carved rather than merely arranged. Harmonic density, rhythmic resistance, and textural friction act like physical forces, shaping the music from within. The analogy to sculpture is unavoidable: just as a sculptor responds to the resistance of stone, Seabrook appears to work against sonic constraints, bending them to his intent. Many artists engaged in similarly demanding approaches ultimately create work that only fully reveals its meaning in a live setting. Here, however, the level of precision and control is such that the recorded album stands entirely on its own. This is not documentation of an idea, it is the idea fully realized.
For listeners approaching Hellbent Daydream, context matters. This is an album best heard in a focused environment, preferably in one uninterrupted stretch, headphones recommended. Multiple listens are not optional but essential; details emerge gradually, and the internal logic of the music reveals itself over time. Those whose musical references extend beyond a single genre will find themselves at an advantage. The album’s compositional foundations are unusually deep, recalling 20th-century European contemporary classical music, where sonic experimentation was the norm rather than the exception. In that sense, Seabrook’s work aligns him with a lineage of artists who treat sound as a field of research as much as expression.
Hellbent Daydream is also part of a broader creative surge. It is one of two albums Seabrook is releasing this year. The second, due in October 2026, will feature his guitar quartet Utility Modern alongside an extraordinary cast: Bill Frisell, Marcus Gilmore, and Rashaan Carter. That lineup alone suggests that Seabrook’s ambitions are not narrowing but expanding, toward ever more challenging and expansive forms.
Ultimately, Hellbent Daydream feels less like a bid for recognition than a statement of intent. It is one of the most imposing albums of recent months, not because of sheer volume or density, but because of its total commitment to vision. To expose oneself so fully through sound, to take such creative risks without compromise, is never trivial. What Seabrook delivers here is a fundamental work: demanding, rigorous, and deeply sincere. It also points toward a future in which experimental music continues to evolve not at the margins, but as a vital, necessary force in contemporary culture.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, February 2nd 2026
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Musicians :
Brandon Seabrook – guitars and banjo
Henry Fraser – bass
Erica Dicker – violin
Elias Stemeseder – piano and synthesizers
Track Listing :
Name Dropping is the Lowest form of Conversation (Waltz)
Bespattered Bygones
Hellbent Daydream
I’m a Nightmare and You Know It
Existential Banger Infinite Ceiling
The Arkansas Tattler
Autopsied Cloudburst
All compositions by Brandon Seabrook
Recorded by Aaron Nevezie at The Bunker Studio, Brooklyn
Mixed by Owen Mulholland at 35th Street Studio, Manhattan
Mastered by Eivind Opsvik at Greenwood Underground
Produced by David Breskin
Album design by Spottswood Erving and July Creek for Janky Defense
Thanks to: Anais Blondet Medina, Jaxie, Kris Davis, Ann Braithwaite, David Breskin, Isabel Breskin, Anthony Pirog, rejection, perseverance, travel, and all guitarists everywhere.