Zoo Seven – Lifesaver (Music Review)
By Andrew Duncan • Jul 26th, 2010 • Category: Categories, Music Genres, Reviews, RockZoo Seven
Lifesaver
Self-Released
Rating: 3 out of 5
Link: http://www.zooseven.com/ (Download The Album For Free On The Website)
Irish rock has been tainted by the success of U2. Del Currie follows in the footsteps of a realized sound and the standards that we have come to expect from an Irish rock band: big sound, open spaces, conclusive behavior, living in the moment. Maybe Currie is not messed up enough to transcend into Therapy? territory. And maybe Currie isn’t drunk enough to follow The Pogues claim to fame.
It’s his contemplative nature and clear-coat oxygenized vocals with just enough gruff to be convincing. He knows how to make his rock opuses click. When the keys sink in on “Love Like Aerosol,” he takes you beyond a high you thought you could not reach on a song like this. “I’ll give you everything, everything I can give,” he sings. We believe it.
“Painted” has a lush string arrangement, driven by bass-driven electronic fuzz. As beautiful as he presents it, the music twists with enough down notes to turn mystery into frightful paranoia. It continues his theme of inner turmoil and conviction.
At times we get glimpses of late-era Psychedelic Furs, when other times we want to reach up and grasp for our copy of Black Celebration.
Blending hard rock with accents of lush orchestration, Zoo Seven is a band that will impress you with their capabilities, but Lifesaver paints by the numbers. It’s nice to know that Currie is doing everything he can to keep rock and roll from dying, but he needs to throw the textbook away.
Andrew Duncan is a journalist who has migrated to the forces of academia. He has written for various publications including Chord, Heckler, Readyset...Aesthetic, and a vast array of alternative press contributions. When not roaming the streets of Indianapolis, he is either addicted to KXCI, making music, or striving to watch every film listed on IMDB.
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