The Dissolute Society is a new octet led by British trombonist Raph Clarkson, of punk-jazz band WorldService Project. This debut is inspired by personal tragedies – the traumatic early life of Clarkson's German Jewish grandmother, and the death of his mother. It's also a tribute to one of his mentors, the pianist John Taylor, and features two of Taylor's compositions (‘Soldiering On’ and the whirling, whimsical ‘In February’), as well as a scrambled arrangement of Kenny Wheeler's ‘Kind Folk’. There's some beautiful original writing and the final track, ‘Closing (Tomorrow)’, is a highlight, with its grooving synth bassline, skiffling beats, brass smears and shivers of strings. On the whole, though, Soldiering On is a challenging listen, dominated by bracing free improvisation and unflinching poetry, written and read by Clarkson and sung, babbled and screamed by Fini Bearman and Norwegian vocal contortionist Mia Marlen Berg, one of four guests. You could hear it as an experimental theatre production or an avant-garde opera. It's certainly one of the most difficult things I've listened to this year, an album that requires several plays to get your head around.