As a music blogger, I am legally required to say I'm kind of surprised I haven't seen a whole lot more love of the Interwebial type out there for Zero 7's latest, Yeah Ghost. The more I think about it, the more I think they're just a tad criminally underrated. Look, folks, they brought the world Sia, and for that alone, they deserve our laurels and hardy handshakes. What's more, their debut, Simple Things, is unquestionably the greatest hangover CD of all times. Seriously, have you ever listened to that thing the morning after a bender? It's like audio aspirin for the spiritual stomach or some other less poorly imagined simile. And their subsequent CDs were top notch, too. Sure, it might take a listen or two to fully get into The Garden, but the trip will be well worth the effort. And yet these cats never seem to get the same kudos as those afforded to Air. It's a damn shame, I tells ya.Yeah Ghost is a slight detour from the "usual" Zero 7 sound in that the tracks tend to be more upbeat and, well, peppier than most of their predecessors. Let's get this out of the way quickly--oh so sadly, Sia does not appear on this one. In my mind, you couldn't have Zero 7 without having Sia bang out a couple of powerhouse slow burners, but let's not forget that Zero 7 is a joint project comprised of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. Thus far, they've had quite a strong history of bringing impressive singers to the fore. Martina Topley-Bird, Jose Gonzales, (did I mention Sia?) the track record is there and maintains the pace on Yeah Ghost. Eska Mtungwazi takes the lead with five tracks, highlighted in my mind by "Mr. McGee," "Sleeper" and "Medicine Man." Martha Tilston and Rowdy Superstar also perform more than admirably, as does Binns himself on "Everything Up (Zizou)."
This one is a definite toe tapper. I defy you to put this one on and not feel like busting out an impromptu move. No, seriously, I'm defying you here. So don't bust that move at your own risk. That's all I'm going to say about that.
(There are now far too many parentheses ending this post.)
2 comments:
Hi over there,
Some comment from france. I was reading your at work, and was very delighted about the expression "unquestionably the greatest hangover CD of all times"...Hehe, it's true ;)
Zero7 music is healing by its peaceful but hypnotic pace.
Nice post, will try to find some time for listening this new zero7 piece.
Sadly, i put that theory to the test far too often when it came out.
Viva la Zero 7!
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