Just a year after the release of his acclaimed LP Tyrannical Vibes, the prolific composer and Brooklyn-based songwriter Michael Kolb is back with another project under his last name, Power of Thought. Where Tyrannical Vibes is a heavily orchestrated labor of love, Power of Thought is an exercise in spontaneity, in working closely with friends to prove that clever songwriting and groovy arrangements make for an achievement in creative power. While Kolb projects are not known for subtlety, Power of Thought has a particularly exciting maximalism, as the live recording process between Kolb and his bandmates yields a fanciful, free-flowing exchange between keys, clarinet, vocals, percussion, and more across six tracks.

Recorded reel-to-reel with a live band in the home of Paco Cathcart (The Cradle), Power of Thought balances craft and whimsy, with Kolb channeling Milton Nascimento and Steely Dan throughout. When writing Power of Thought, Kolb struggled under the weight of doubt, questioning his own capabilities to wield power as the systems of state oppression flexed their muscles around him. On tracks like “You’ve Got The Future (In The Palm Of Your Hand)” and “Dark and Light,” Kolb sings his power into existence. Instrumental tracks like “The Key” and “On the Regular,” featuring the jazz clarinet stylings of Hillai Govreen, evade immediate meaning, but they offer opportunities to forge meaning out of the interstitial experiences of everyday life, where we negotiate our autonomy with every breath, every step.

For years, Kolb was Michael’s solo project, one where he tweaked with diverse processes and strictures to see what he could produce. But, beginning with Tyrannical Vibes, Kolb has grown into a band where Michael thrives in collaboration with like-minded oddballs. While Power of Thought celebrates the little guy’s power to resist abjection, the project is less a celebration of the individual and more of the community, of what’s possible when motivated makers get together in search of something transcendent. Power of Thought isn’t just about the thoughts of one guy; it’s the result of trust, curiosity, and compassion between a group of collaborators who’ve made a home under the Kolb umbrella.