THINK LIKE A KEY MUSIC

Imagine if the music industry decided to write its own tell-all autobiography, but instead of a book, it came out as a mind-bending concept album—that's The Gatekeepers in a nutshell. This 12-song odyssey through the treacherous terrain of artistic creation is what happens when prog rock has a lovechild with satire, sends it to jazz camp, and finishes its education in a folk commune. Mastermind Alex Wroten has assembled a veritable Justice League of musical misfits including vocals by The Residents (yes, those eyeball-mask wearing weirdos), the legendary Shawn Phillips, DIY king R. Stevie Moore, plus Canterbury prog legends Mont Campbell (Egg, National Health) and a cast of experimental heroes like Amy Denio, Bob Drake, and CHEER-ACCIDENT. The result is a sonic funhouse mirror that's part The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, part Of Montreal fever dream, with enough Zappa-esque zaniness and Kurt Weill cabaret to keep your ears guessing—it's DIY meets hi-fi, lo-fi with a high IQ, and proof that you can indeed herd cats if those cats are insanely talented musicians who dream in sheet music.