Gay's de facto debut albumthe 2018 compilation Downtown Castles Can Never Block The Sunproperly introduced him to the world by placing fifteen stylistically diverse tracks from seven then-unreleased albums next to one another. The release of his critically-acclaimed 2021 song cycle Open Arms To Open Us followed, and then the explosive free-electronics of 2022s Certain Reveries. In addition to being featured on a staggering number of International Anthem releases (including albums by Makaya McCraven, jaimie branch, Damon Locks, Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti & Frank Rosaly), Gay is one of the most prolific collaborators in creative music today, making active contributions to Mike Reeds Separatist Party, Joshua Abramss Natural Information Society, Bitchin Bajas, Theaster Gatess Black Monks of Mississippi, and many more.A uniting factor in Gay's deep, multi-faceted discography is a never-ending commitment to taking the stories of the past and pushing them outward, filtered through a sense of self, to keep that information moving. Information moves through Yowzers via the intuitive physicality of Gays creative polyrhythmic constructions, as he covertly delivers familiar folk melodies. Its the most natural thing, says Gay. Thats how the world is. There are overlapping rhythms all around us, and so it reminds you of the reality of the world when you hear them. Its a loop and the loop is always changing.Yowzers features Gay's working quartet with Tommaso Moretti (drums, percussion, voice), Matthew Davis (tuba, piano, bells, voice), and Will Faber (guitar, ngoni, bells, voice), as well as guest instrumentalist Rob Frye and a mini-choir comprising vocalists Ayanna Woods, Tramaine Parker, and Ugochi Nwaogwugwu. The album recalls the high-minded freedom of Liberation Music Orchestra, the glitched-out electronic webs of Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe, the unbridled rhythms and sandpaper bellows of Bukka White, and the harmolodic cartoon glory of Arthur Blythes Illusions. Its all there, filtered through an improvisational approach and a lifetime of secrets embodied. For a man who has inhabited and traveled these continents so extensively, its safe to call this work true Americana, despite what that word might mean to the average person in the United States.

A big part of the language this quartet has developed is spatial, says Gay. Its seeing and hearing it live. Translating that language to a studio situation is a tough task, even for a seasoned crew. Youre dealing with a thing that is older than the industry that sells it, and if youve never experienced those bodies in a room there can be a disconnect. Striving to document the magic of those live moments, to great end, Gay chose to track the quartet pieces (the glorification of small victories, there, inside the morning glory, I am (bells), and cumulus) for Yowzers live, in real time, seated with his bandmates in a small circle at Palisade Studios in Chicago.

The spectrum of the album is widened by a batch of music created via Gays highly successful approach to composing in-studio, augmented with contributions from his bandmates, instrumentalist Rob Frye, and a mini-choir comprising vocalists Ayanna Woods, Tramaine Parker, and Ugochi Nwaogwugwu. This straying from the quartet material throughout the course of the record acts as an expansion of detail rather than an interruption of continuity.

All together, the pacing and flow of Yowzers is proof-positive of Gays practiced grasp on how the album format can traverse such a breadth of atmospheres. The titular album opener yowzers is a simple, soulful, three-chord piano and vocal repetition nestled in the hypnotically swelling effect of the Woods/Parker/Nwaogwugwu choir. The undecorated lyrics leave ample room for a listener to comprehend references to the binding existential crises of our times. Its a Blues that everyone in the world should feel in their bones:

Aint gon snow no more x4
Rain gon pour and pour x4
Fire dont stop no more x4

for Breezy, a could-be New Orleans dirge, straddles the deep sigh of a heavy sadness and the sweet lift of a fond look back, echoing the most contemplative moments of Duke Ellingtons small group arrangements. Gays clustered synth chording sets the scene while Fryes breathy flute and Morettis delicate brushwork are positioned front-and-center along with a synthetic staticthe nagging question of darkness even as beauty blooms. Gays flugelhorn enters at the 1:35 mark, maneuvering slowly around Frye and locking the vibe into place. Its a gorgeous and fitting tribute to an old comrade.

John, John Henry begins with doomy oscillations and click-clack electronic rhythm loops hovering atop a contextually demented swing beat from Moretti. Enter Gay and his choir, digging into a take on the dusty-yet-timeless tale of man versus machine, an update we didnt know we needed and an entrance we didnt know we wanted. The way the groups vocal rhythms hit here is a classic example of the Gay conundrum: an idea that reads as challenging on paper but sounds simple to the ear and feels intuitive to the body. With spectacles underfoot and charts out the window, the listener sings along, unencumbered by know-how. Its all in service of Gays ongoing exploration and expansion of folklore in his workarguably the one concept that bridges the gap between all of the disparate elements of his oeuvre.

This bottomless bag of tricks never induces fatigue, instead allowing for breaths and bites as neededthe quick-vibe banana peel windup of rollerskates; the endlessly psychedelic metallic rhythm chant of the albums centerpiece I am (bells); and the triumphant free-folk shouts of the glorification of small victories, which is a drastic and collaborative quartet rework of a composition originally recorded for Gays album Grapes that serves as further evidence of his steady crews interpretive powers.

How, though, does Gay end a collection that covers so much ground? The sweetest sendoff is often the one that sounds like a beginning. The album closer leave some for youa balladeers kiss as the sun comes uppairs a deeply disintegrated series of rhythmic loops with a diddley bow shuffle, ushered by the sturdy-yet-understated swing of Morettis kit. Gays sweetly intoned low-register lilt is front and center with an affirmation delivered as an earworm. The simple melody carries it home:

You look brand new today
Not cause you need it
Just cause you want it
New