CD Review
This review was originally written by Jose Bernardo for www.theweeklyriff.com between 2008 and 2010.
These were Jose’s first impressions of the songs and were not written after multiple spins.
Artist : Zero 7
Album : Yeah Ghost (2009 Atlantic)
Tracks : 11
Artist website : http://www.zero7.co.uk/
OVERVIEW
Yeah Ghost is the fourth album by Zero 7. The band is a duo comprised of two British audio engineers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. This album features the following guest singers: Eska Mtungwazi, Martha Tilston, Jackie Daniels, and Rowdy Superstar.
The music is simple pop. The melodies are quite nice. The arrangements are very stripped down and minimalistic.
On the whole, not a bad album. The style of the music is called “downtempo” but there were definitely some tracks that don’t qualify as “downtempo” if we were to analyze and categorize in the strict sense of what the term “down tempo” means.
HIGHLIGHTS :
Mr. McGee, Everything Up, Pop Art Blue, The Road
PLAY BY PLAY
Track 1 – Count Me Out
I did not get the point of this track. What is it trying to be?
Track 2 – Mr. McGee
Really catchy. Cool track.
Track 3 – Swing
This is a cool track. It’s in 3 which makes it nice and bouncy. It’s actually a cool take on a swing in 3.
Track 4 – Everything Up (Zizou)
Binns himself sings on this track. His vocals sound appropriate for the song and that raises the question why he doesn’t sing on the other tracks. I dug this track a lot.
Track 5 – Pop Art Blue
I really dug this track. It’s got a great feel to it and the vocals are really warm and inviting.
Track 6 – Medicine Man
This has a retro styling to it. I found it to be a bit on the annoying side as far as repetitiveness.
Track 7 – Ghost Symbol
I really did not dig this track at all. It is so overly repetitive and taxing aurally.
Track 8 – Sleeper
I like the vocals on this track, but the rhythms used in the background are either too repetitive or busy for me to like the track.
Track 9 – Solastalgia
Just like the opening track, I don’t really get what the function of this track is.
Track 10 – The Road
I really dig the way this track starts. There’s kind of a Rhodes/Wurlitzer vibe on this track. Very retro. Almost like a gospel song in places.
Track 11 – All Of Us
This is a longer version of tracks 1 and 9 with percussion, and again, I raise the question: what is this supposed to be? It does get progressively though I still have no idea what this is.