This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
The Bad Plus aren’t the first jazz outfit to tackle tracks by rockers like Blondie, Nirvana and Aphex Twin (actually, come to think of it, they might be the first folks to try that last one, but you get the idea).
Still, they are one of the few jazz acts to play ’em like them mean it. While other jazzbos tend to prissily dissect or patronizingly parody pop culture hits, these Wisconsinites embrace them. Thus, even though their take on Smells Like Teen Spirit is a darkly swinging affair whose mournful piano melody is tugged along by a rumbling acoustic bassline, it still retains enough of its DNA that you can recognize it. Ditto for Heart Of Glass, which toggles between a chaotic, clattering workout and an elegiac whisper, and Aphex’s Flim, which actually comes off much prettier than the original. But while these name-drop cuts are the bait, the real catch here is the trio’s original fare — aggressive (and aggressively original) post-bop articulated by frenetic drumming, ropy basslines and ringing chord-heavy keyboard work. With a sound this distinctive and engaging, they don’t need to bother playing anybody’s music but their own.
