Zero 7
Simple Things
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Zero 7
Simple Things
Quango/Palm, 2001
RiYL: Soul II Soul, Massive Attack, His Name Is Alive |
Somewhat in the vein of Soul II Soul, Zero 7 is the brainchild of producers Binns and Hardaker, who recruited dozens of musicians to flesh out their compositions, including an ace rotation of lead singers starring Mozez (full-voiced reggae toaster who slips into falsetto when required), Sophie Barker (Dido-style sultry English crooner) and Sia Furler (blond Aussie pixie with knockout steamy voice). That trio collectively give boatloads of personality to Simple Things with their performances (seven in all, including "Destiny," a smouldering duet between Barker and Furler and the album's prize single).
More than other bands in this same "collective" genre, Zero 7's finished result is not only cohesive and slick, but earthy, warm, and endearing. The comparison to French electronic pop mavens Air is not entirely accurate in that Simple Things -- unlike that group's two efforts -- is brimming with soul, and not of the "blue-eyed" ilk either. The record has a pronounced bottom end, slow tempos notwithstanding, and it will make your booty move.
But as organic as the record is, it somehow still gives off the perception of being a pastiche. There's not rampant sampling, or a turntablist, at work, but there's something in the overall range of Binns-n-Hardaker's vision that makes Simple Things seem like a compilation of different groups, despite its flow. To an extent it actually is, since Binns and Hardaker collect and implement the album's many musical performances toward a certain end, and thus it's not so much a band record in that few tracks feature the exact same recurring personnel. Imagine if Brian Wilson had recorded Pet Sounds in a whole bunch of different studios with different musicians on each song, and you sort of get the idea.
Still, there are threads that weave the songs together, like Pete Trotman's slinky bass lines, which weave their magic underneath most of the album's standout tracks. Likewise Allan Simpson's brilliantly simple stairstep guitar riff on the instrumental "Give It Away," which capably follows"Destiny" and paves the listener's way into the middle of the recordwithout losing momentum.
Furler's "Distractions" is another album highlight, her amazing voice delving deep for the hook "i love you / i only make jokes to distract myself / from the truth." The group keeps the music elementary on this one, so the focus is squarely on Furler and her tale of how love confuses the mind. Barker follows that tune up with her own gem, "In The Waiting Line," a more meditative mid-tempo piece that showcases her voice better than "Destiny."
In short, Zero 7 are wonderfully efficient at working within their chosen idiom. Simple Things comes off as the template for collective-soul records in the new millenium (and no, I don't mean Collective Soul records), and it's even more striking as a debut album by a more or less unknown act. You'd be doing yourself a disservice not to hear this.
TROY CARPENTER | Troy Carpenter founded NATN from a Chicago apartment during the ambitious winter of 1998 with co-conspirators Ben French and Jonathan Cohen. After a five-year stint in New York, he and wife Lourdes have recently relocated to Indianapolis, where he spends days listening to music and nights in the kitchen at Elements restaurant. Musical heroes: Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Super Furry Animals. What else makes life worth living: Sushi, Phucty, runs in the park, and the Atlanta Braves.