Elifantree

Is this cerebral pop music with a jazz edge, or some kind of post jazz that’s reaching out to pop on its own terms? We’ll debate it with you after the show, and will hopefully reach a consensual “who cares when it sounds this good.” Saxophone, voice and drums are the base elements in this liberating Finnish trio, but cello, glockenspiel and harmonium feature too. It depends on the whims of Anni Elif Egecioglu, Pauli Lyytinen and Tatu Rönkkö, who’ve been musically transgressing together since 2007, refining a punchy band sound and the performance attitude to go with it. Love and Trees is the brilliant debut album, a wild ride across catchy hooks and knotty writing, back beats and odd meters, songful delicacy and scorching improv.