“You Want That Too!” is a restless, shape-shifting statement from Max Jaffe, an album that thrives on misdirection and surprise. From its opening moments, Jaffe makes it clear that nothing here will move in a straight line. Tracks build toward expected climaxes only to dissolve, pivot, or slow into something entirely different, keeping the listener suspended in a constant state of anticipation.
Jaffe’s background in New York’s experimental, jazz, and noise scenes comes through in the album’s fluidity. His drumming—often described as painterly and gestural—anchors the project even as everything around it mutates. Whether working with acoustic kits, electronic triggers, or Sensory Percussion, rhythm remains the central force. These songs feel less composed than discovered, as if they’re being assembled and disassembled in real time.
The album’s collaborative spirit is essential to its energy. On “Looking at the Inside of Your Eyelids,” saxophones drift through celestial textures, creating a rare moment of melodic clarity before splintering into multiple movements. Elsewhere, tracks like “Ancestral Creeks” and “Pedro Point” move from digital lattices to organic warmth, introducing harp, guitar, and bass at unexpected turns. These shifts never feel abrupt for shock value alone; they serve a larger sense of nonlinear expansion, a search for temporary footing before moving on again.
Even the solo drum pieces—“S-NARE,” “Putney Waltz,” and “Zen and Pteent”—feel alive and exploratory rather than technical showcases. Layered, wide, and immersive, they pulse with texture and momentum, reinforcing the album’s fixation on motion over destination.
At its core, “You Want That Too!” is animated by curiosity and joy. Jaffe may be the guiding force, but the record’s warmth comes from collaboration and collective risk-taking. It’s an album that refuses to settle, inviting listeners to follow its winding paths simply for the thrill of discovery.
About the Author
