Mickey Hart knows the road. The former Grateful Dead drummer has crisscrossed the globe several times over during his 46 years of touring. And yet, the 69-year old chose to look inwards with Superorganism, his new LP with the Mickey Hart Band.
Hart tuned out the world for his ambitious new album, tapping into his own brainwaves to find the intersection between biology, rhythm and music. By wearing a cap with electrodes, the musicologist was able to reimagine his brain signals into sound.
Opener "Falling Stars" introduces Hart's concept with busy bongos, spirited chants and hospital bleeps, ranging from a communal celebration of the beat to a mesmerizing journey of grooves. "Don't Let Your God Down" lurches forward with shifting drum textures and tense electronic pulses, while "Bully Boy" kicks off with a disorienting mix of frantic pricks and spooky sound oscillations. Throughout it all, Hart's complex mind fuels unexpected sonics and changes in direction. Hart may have looked inwards for the music, but he taps into universally human elements with Superorganism.