Zero Zero
AM Gold
Jade Tree
If you had pieces of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Yaz, The Dismemberment Plan, and Negativland, you’d have some of the Zero Zero puzzle, but definitely not enough to complete it. Smashing together fuzzy rockisms, a soft, warm Farfisa organ, a querulous singing voice, and a multitude of beats and sounds that could be organic (or not), Zero Zero arrives with a sound that quickly averts any easy categorization. The opening “True Zero” rides smoothly over a bouncy beat, while “Pep Sounds” has a propelling groove to it that alternates a quasi-Cuban spy riff with a death-defying motorcycle chase chorus. The beat of “Back To Hell” whizzes by like telephone poles on cruise control, littering the road with entirely unexpected (but quite fitting) samples, and a brief lead from an unknown instrument that fits like phone in its cradle.
As stated, it’s difficult to find a single frame of reference for Zero Zero. It’s straightforward enough to be easily appreciated, but shows incredible depth of production and a self-doubting bent to lyrics that should appeal to the “emo” crowd. Speaking of, Zero Zero features a couple of members of Lifetime – I’m not terribly familiar with that band, but this is definitely quite unlike them.
Jade Tree; http://www.jadetree.com
