Twelve inches of evidence of a whirlwind Philadelphia weekend. ASTUTE PALAGE wrote and recorded the record and played a gig and consumed a dozen burritos and a pile of beer and shipped a fella back to Omaha. The audacious ad-hoc 4-piece ragged combo put in the sleepless 48 hours and this is what we get: 2 raw sides of electric rock action with all the humbucked girth, single-coil screech & low down thud a Tascam 388 can handle. Today’s necessary palate cleanser. Recorded & mixed by EMILY ROBB, mastered by MIKEY YOUNG.  “When discussing supergroups, I am sure we can all agree there are some that have exceeded all artistic expectations (Methods Of Mayhem, McBusted) and others that have been crushing disappointments (Winery Dogs, La Coka Nostra). Astute Palate fall squarely between the two (I respect you far too much to engage in hyperbole) but the results of this unique collaboration feel like a fully realized thing as just as much as any of the projects they’ve spearheaded previously (Writhing Squares, Storks, Watery Love, David Nance’s Rock’n’Roll Circus). If you’re anticipating some kind of hastily conceived, vague “jam” exercise in directionless fuckery, well, I take it back. You will be disappointed, bitterly. But if your attention span can handle genuine songcraft, incendiary guitar work and a band that sounds improbably fused together, Astute Plane’s debut will rank very high on your list of 2021’s best releases (and I’m not saying that simply because I anticipate the closing of all pressing plants, if not the end of all commercial activity by March 1 of next year). Predictions aside, I could not be a bigger fan of the 4 players involved and I am happy to say they have not let me down and that, without question, is the most important take-away from this exercise. The Nebraska and Pennsylvania state lines are roughly 900 miles apart, but with this album, Astute Palate have obliterated the notion of physical distance. I feel like I’m in the room with them when they’re making this. And as much as I wish the ventilation was better and there was somewhere for me to plug my phone in, there’s nowhere else on earth I’d rather be (within reason, I would like to go home eventually).”—Gerard Cosloy, noted big city roller & shipping dept manager at 12XU Records.