People in General, a self-described jazz-pop band out of Fort Collins, draws their influence from a few genres. Obviously, jazz and pop are among them, but the three piece also cite math-rock as a stylistic influence, using unusual time signatures, odd and ever-changing meters, giving the music an esoteric sound. This almost sounds contrary to jazz music as we know it in the cliché sense, but it’s actually a perfect compliment, and People in General makes it work with Piglet.
Piglet (out November 16) is whimsical, light and fun, but laden with a more complex sound behind the cutesy lyrics guitarist Abe Dashnaw sings. Alongside drummer Ethan Christi and keyboardist Matan Birnbaum (My Dog Ate Chad), Dashnaw delivers guitar noodling evocative of David Longstreth from Dirty Projectors. When it all comes together, it creates something that at times sounds like Indie Rock (“Boolin’”) and then sounds like jazz (“Cinderella” and “Sunrise”) and then something instrumental Prog Rock-esque (“Galoomba”).
This variety of sound throughout the album, with little touches highlighting their wide variety of influence, is definitely jazz-pop, but it’s no “One-Note-Samba” – the trio deftly use the technicality of their compositions to draw the listener in without being heavy and pretentious.
These guys clearly don’t want to stand still, but they also know who they are. That clarity and commitment to their sound is what makes People In General stand-out as one of the young, up-and-coming Fort Collins bands on the rise.
People In General play December 7 at Pinball Jones Campus West and Lost Lake in Denver on December 17. Check out Piglet at peopleingeneral.bandcamp.com
