Zero 7 - Yeah Ghost (2009)

Zero 7 - Yeah Ghost

Original Release Date: Sep 29, 2009

Label: Atlantic

Genre: Electronica, Downtempo, Trip-Hop

Size: 282MB

Flac (Separate tracks + .cue + .log + Covers)

Tracklisting:

1. Count Me Out (1:26)
2. Mr McGee (4:19)
3. Swing (3:58)
4. Everything Up (Zizou) (5:19)
5. Pop Art Blue (4:23)
6. Medicine Man (4:33)
7. Ghost sYMbOL (4:37)
8. Sleeper (4:40)
9. Solastalgia (1:59)
10. The Road (3:43)
11. All of Us (6:20)

 
Review by John Bush
Studio mainstays for well over a decade, Zero 7's Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker can wring an expert production from nearly any song, whether it's synth-based or band-based, instrumental or vocal, unadulterated pop or colored with some other genre shade thereof. Their fourth album as Zero 7 includes all of those approaches, so file it as another in a career of ever-evolving records that have moved them from chilled downbeat into dynamic alternative pop. A dedicated rhythm section appears on half the record, accentuating the feel that this is a band record -- albeit impeccably produced -- with an array of guests taking vocal turns. As before, the songs are written well and the guest vocalists are selected with care, but they're usually overwhelmed by the numerous production touches. Each song is a variation on the pop form, whether it's straight commercial pop on "Mr McGee," neo-soul on "Medicine Man," folkie introspection on "Swing," or starburst electronica on "Pop Art Blue." The best and most natural blend occurs on "Everything Up (Zizou)," which has a bit of indie guitar over its sheen of electronic pop, with vocals from Binns himself and the most impressive of the guests, Eska (who sings over five tracks total). Though Zero 7 are still not in the same class as Air (or even Phoenix), Yeah Ghost is an enjoyable record that shows them apparently on the way to something more unique.

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Zero 7 - The Garden (2006)

Zero 7 - The Garden

Original Release Date: Jun 6, 2006

Label: Atlantic

Genre: Electronica, Downtempo, Trip-Hop

Size: 324MB

Flac (Separate tracks + .cue + .log + Covers)

Tracklisting:
1. Futures (3:51)
2. Throw It All Away (5:22)
3. Seeing Things (5:11)
4. The Pageant of the Bizarre (4:23)
5. You're My Flame (3:17)
6. Left Behind (1:17)
7. Today (4:05)
8. This Fine Social Scene (4:29)
9. Your Place (6:03)
10. If I Can't Have You (3:24)
11. Crosses (6:41)
12. Waiting to Die (3:39)

Review by Marisa Brown
In Zero 7's last album, When It Falls, there were more than noticeable hints that the band was taking the idea of a pop song a lot more seriously, which should then make it unsurprising that with Garden they've stepped even further in that direction, all but leaving their downbeat roots behind. Instead of being what the music is based around, the synthesized aspects once so prominent now act more like the thread that sews the different squares of the quilt together and keeps them in place. The actual substance, the fabric, is much more organic; it's the guitars, the keyboards, the horns, and the rich vocal harmonies. Sia returns as a guest artist, as does Swedish star José González, whose Jim Croce-esque voice works fantastically with the verdant plot of land that Zero 7 has managed to cultivate. The songs are creative and interesting, explorative without losing their focus or their point, moving about from being in love to reflections on life to obsession. "Throw It All Away" has a nice, easy summer groove, "Today" uses sparser instrumentals over electronic percussion, the vibraphone in "The Pageant of the Bizarre" adds a circusy, Air-like feel, and "Crosses," which first appeared on González's album Veneer, is embellished with changing dynamics, a Fleetwood Mac-esque piano line, plenty of keyboard effects, and a string section. While Sia's emotive voice has been long proven to be an excellent fit with Zero 7's music, the relative flatness of González's adds a nice texture to the rolling movement behind it. And main songwriter Henry Binns, who also take lead vocals occasionally, is a master at adding harmonies that bring a kind of light pastoral intensity to the pieces, and gives them a great sense of structure. With Garden, Zero 7 has created what could be the ultimate summer evening record: warm pop hooks, lush instrumentation, unobtrusive electronica elements, and '60s-style harmonies that all come together into superb, wonderfully descriptive songs. And what could be better than that?

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Zero 7 - Simple Things (2001)

Zero 7 - Simple Things
Original Release Date: Jun 12, 2001
Label: Palm
Genre: Electronica, Downtempo, Trip-Hop
Size: 402MB
Flac (Separate tracks + .cue + .log + Covers)

Tracklisting:
1. I Have Seen (5:09)
2. Polaris (4:49)
3. Destiny (5:40)
4. Give It Away (5:19)
5. Simple Things (4:25)
6. Red Dust (5:42)
7. Distractions (5:18)
8. In the Waiting Line (4:33)
9. Out of Town (4:50)
10. This World (5:38)
11. Likufanele (6:07)
12. End Theme (3:40)

Review by Tim DiGravina
Forget the rampant labeling of Zero 7 as the "British Air," because Simple Things is a debut album that stands on its own as a chilled, subtle collection of organic songs. There are hints of Air, but there are equally relevant comparisons that might be made with Morcheeba, Rae & Christian, Nightmares on Wax, and early Massive Attack. Indeed, after Morcheeba's overproduced Fragments of Freedom and Rae & Christian's sloppy Sleepwalking, Simple Things picks up the slack in a rewarding manner. Simple Things might just be a gentle Cinderella, a kind stepsister to Massive Attack's dark masterpiece, Mezzanine. It's rare that a post-trip-hop album is so interesting and engrossing, but the duo of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker mix a number of musical elements, such as soul-influenced diva vocals, gurgling and ringing keyboards, and classical string arrangements, into a relaxing, potent wave of sounds. Though the album starts to meander in its closing tracks, the first 50 minutes are cohesive, vibrant, and calming. Highlights are too numerous to call out, as the duo switches from instrumentals to songs featuring passionate, energized vocals from Mozez, Sia Furler, and Sophie Barker. All three vocalists mingle as perfect matches to the smart arrangements. Twinkling keyboards, barely-there basslines, and acoustic guitars create rolling melodies that never interfere with the task at hand, that of chiseling textured aural atmospheres. Simple Things is an accomplished slice of soulful genius that rewards frequent spins.

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