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ZZZZ
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Palm Reader
Polyvinyl Records
Release: 3/22/2005
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Rated:
Review by:
Andrew Glassett
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How did ZZZZ end up on Polyvinyl Records? That was my first question while listening to ZZZZ's debut album, Palm Reader. Polyvinyl is home to bands such as Sunday's Best and Ida, which are very west coast in sound and attitude. Self-proclaimed "Tim Burton on speed" music does not seem to fit the mold, and I for one am very thankful.
Several years back there was an influx of ska music on our culture; it was fun, cheesy and kind of silly. One thing that didn't seem to happen was the presence of music that was post-ska. Enter ZZZZ with its Chicago influence. The difference here is the absence of guitar and the obvious math rock leanings. The disc is an eight-song smattering of math rock, jazz and gypsy eeriness. Stop/start drumming, classically influenced electric piano, and a frantic boy/girl vocal switching provides an environment verging on the edge of mania.
Steve Sostak, previously of Sweep the Leg Johnny fame, has found a place to fit his sax in perfectly. The rhythms are infectious, such as in "Railroaded," and become almost a mental exercise to figure out what is exactly happening.
The weakness here is the quality of the vocals themselves. The interplay between voices should have been much stronger in order to compete or rather complement the strong music. The singing ends up sounding cheesy and almost an afterthought.
The mania produced by the band is very ambidextrous, such as in "Forget It" and "Bandit King and Queen." The odd time signatures and syncopated arpeggios are very amusing and enjoyable but at the same time very mathematic. The music is definitely different and transports the listener to an eerie gypsy place. This band would be right at home playing at no-wave dance parties and allowing madness to ensue. |
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