Jim Black emerged in New York's downtown scene of the 1990s, playing alongside Dave Douglas and Tim Berne. He went on to establish himself as a bandleader, with AlasNoAxis, as well as to work with the likes of Dave Liebman, Steve Coleman and Nels Cline. His frame of reference, however, has always been broad: he has also worked with Laurie Anderson, for instance, and his playing draws on everything from Balkan music to drum'n'bass. Malamute comprises material that emerged during a 2015 European tour, inspired by mixtapes and playlists. The album is intended as a kind of ADHD approach to composition and improvisation, and it is, indeed, diverse, moving from abstract ambience to pleasingly wonky grooves; the pieces are relatively short, the sonics now subtle, now abrasive. As with the best mixtapes, though, there is a thread tying together the elements of electronica, jazz and alt rock, even if the pieces sometimes feel underdeveloped. It's just a shame that, in 2017, we don't get handwritten track names.