The Garden
Zero 7
(Atlantic)
Zero 7's third album, The Garden, is so diverse that it reminds me of one of those big, functional foster families I'll occasionally read about in People. Each of the twelve songs is completely different, much like members of a family - each with their own disabilities, but with their own positive attributes, too. And like members of a family who share some trait, whether it be religion or a sense of humor, each song is tied to the next - but with unorthodox, sometimes frilly, organic, hippy-like string.
Now, just because the album is diverse doesn't mean I like it. Zero 7, made up of Brit producers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, made a risky move by painting each song a different color. Like many albums that don't have a set tone or voice, there will be some songs that are wonderful and there will be some songs that leave you bewildered or even embarassed that you've listened to them, which is what happened with this album.
Zero 7 snagged fans in the U.S. after "In the Waiting Line" was showcased on the much-loved 2004 Garden State soundtrack. They began their career creating remixes for "Climbing Up the Walls" by Radiohead and Terry Callier's "Love Theme from Spartacus." But eccentric, even psychedelic songs with vague lyrics won't be the duo's golden ticket for lasting success with the Yankees.
My favorite song of the album, "Throw It All Away," has a clear beat and deep, soulful vocals from Sia, a former background singer for Jamiroquai who has worked with Zero 7 in the past. A unique and effective change of pace occurs as her voice is paired with background vocals by Binns, who makes his singing debut on The Garden. It's easy and swingy, but as much as I like the song's tone, the ballad-like chorus makes me cringe. It's too bubbly, too girly, too Nelly Furtado.
Sia is a salvation to many of the songs; her voice has depth and adds character to the limp tunes. Her deep, sexpot pipes lead half the album's songs, which vary from fast-paced, Sneaker Pimpish "You're My Flame" to slow, ironic "Waiting to Die," a dark comedy of a song that pairs kooky "la dee das" with depressing lyrics ("la da da, cuz we're waiting here to die"). "The Pageant of the Bizarre" is another Sia-featured song, and I swear it's the same song from I Heart Huckabees or Amelie - that slow, carnival-like trumpety song. It's enjoyable until the chorus, which once again, makes me grit my teeth. It's an explosion of dreamy, cloying feminity: "Catch a falling star, you'll go far / In the pageant of the bizarre / And tonight I give you my heart."
"Left Behind," meanwhile, is described as a gentle British folk tune, and it's a warm, cozy song, kind of like the brown sugar on French toast; but it's only one minute and 15 seconds, whereas trippy, synthesized songs like "Your Place" are more than six minutes long. And then there's "Futures": the first single released from The Garden and also the first song on the album, it features Sweden's Jose Gonzalez, who lends his voice to the album and is described as a "future folk sensation." "Futures" is slow and acoustic, with tinges of electronica. Gonzalez has soothing, but bland vocals. The song coasts through its nearly four minutes and works lazily toward a slightly rousing maraca/electronic jungle at the wee end, but it's not impressive. Simply put, "Futures" is not the best song on The Garden and doesn't deserve "single" status.
Most confusingly, the album also has kicks of songs that seem to come directly off the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, with some choruses eerily reminiscent of ABBA songs. Five-minute "Seeing Things" has no vocals and nothing to offer. If this song came on while I was with a friend, I would immediately skip ahead to the next song. If I were alone and feeling adventurous I might pretend like I'm a robot and dance along - but that's only in rare circumstances. "Today," on the other hand, reels you in with a good beat and Gonzalez's detached vocals, but within the first minute the sugar influence says "Hi!" with a fair amount of Marcia Brady "oooo" and "aaaa" background vocals. Gonzalez and his blast from the past cronies surprisingly run well together, but the song is lackluster. "Crosses" is another song that seems to step in from 1987. It's catchy, with bongo drums and strong, gospel-style backup vocals and clapping. But it's 6:40 - too long for an experimental song. Gonzalez's voice once again has only slightly more heat than lukewarm milk, and although it gives off this nice, calm spaced out feeling, it's not meant to be matched with crazy beats, synthesizers and other dance regalia, unless you happen to be dropping acid.
With its eclectic grab bag of styles, The Garden is fresh and absolutely unique, but I say pass on it unless you're willing to take the good with the bad. It does make splendid background music for most events, but few of its songs deserve the spotlight.
Official Site
Buy It
See Also: Inspired by Sia's appearance on The Garden.
(Atlantic)
Zero 7's third album, The Garden, is so diverse that it reminds me of one of those big, functional foster families I'll occasionally read about in People. Each of the twelve songs is completely different, much like members of a family - each with their own disabilities, but with their own positive attributes, too. And like members of a family who share some trait, whether it be religion or a sense of humor, each song is tied to the next - but with unorthodox, sometimes frilly, organic, hippy-like string.Now, just because the album is diverse doesn't mean I like it. Zero 7, made up of Brit producers Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, made a risky move by painting each song a different color. Like many albums that don't have a set tone or voice, there will be some songs that are wonderful and there will be some songs that leave you bewildered or even embarassed that you've listened to them, which is what happened with this album.
Zero 7 snagged fans in the U.S. after "In the Waiting Line" was showcased on the much-loved 2004 Garden State soundtrack. They began their career creating remixes for "Climbing Up the Walls" by Radiohead and Terry Callier's "Love Theme from Spartacus." But eccentric, even psychedelic songs with vague lyrics won't be the duo's golden ticket for lasting success with the Yankees.
My favorite song of the album, "Throw It All Away," has a clear beat and deep, soulful vocals from Sia, a former background singer for Jamiroquai who has worked with Zero 7 in the past. A unique and effective change of pace occurs as her voice is paired with background vocals by Binns, who makes his singing debut on The Garden. It's easy and swingy, but as much as I like the song's tone, the ballad-like chorus makes me cringe. It's too bubbly, too girly, too Nelly Furtado.
Sia is a salvation to many of the songs; her voice has depth and adds character to the limp tunes. Her deep, sexpot pipes lead half the album's songs, which vary from fast-paced, Sneaker Pimpish "You're My Flame" to slow, ironic "Waiting to Die," a dark comedy of a song that pairs kooky "la dee das" with depressing lyrics ("la da da, cuz we're waiting here to die"). "The Pageant of the Bizarre" is another Sia-featured song, and I swear it's the same song from I Heart Huckabees or Amelie - that slow, carnival-like trumpety song. It's enjoyable until the chorus, which once again, makes me grit my teeth. It's an explosion of dreamy, cloying feminity: "Catch a falling star, you'll go far / In the pageant of the bizarre / And tonight I give you my heart."
"Left Behind," meanwhile, is described as a gentle British folk tune, and it's a warm, cozy song, kind of like the brown sugar on French toast; but it's only one minute and 15 seconds, whereas trippy, synthesized songs like "Your Place" are more than six minutes long. And then there's "Futures": the first single released from The Garden and also the first song on the album, it features Sweden's Jose Gonzalez, who lends his voice to the album and is described as a "future folk sensation." "Futures" is slow and acoustic, with tinges of electronica. Gonzalez has soothing, but bland vocals. The song coasts through its nearly four minutes and works lazily toward a slightly rousing maraca/electronic jungle at the wee end, but it's not impressive. Simply put, "Futures" is not the best song on The Garden and doesn't deserve "single" status.
Most confusingly, the album also has kicks of songs that seem to come directly off the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, with some choruses eerily reminiscent of ABBA songs. Five-minute "Seeing Things" has no vocals and nothing to offer. If this song came on while I was with a friend, I would immediately skip ahead to the next song. If I were alone and feeling adventurous I might pretend like I'm a robot and dance along - but that's only in rare circumstances. "Today," on the other hand, reels you in with a good beat and Gonzalez's detached vocals, but within the first minute the sugar influence says "Hi!" with a fair amount of Marcia Brady "oooo" and "aaaa" background vocals. Gonzalez and his blast from the past cronies surprisingly run well together, but the song is lackluster. "Crosses" is another song that seems to step in from 1987. It's catchy, with bongo drums and strong, gospel-style backup vocals and clapping. But it's 6:40 - too long for an experimental song. Gonzalez's voice once again has only slightly more heat than lukewarm milk, and although it gives off this nice, calm spaced out feeling, it's not meant to be matched with crazy beats, synthesizers and other dance regalia, unless you happen to be dropping acid.
With its eclectic grab bag of styles, The Garden is fresh and absolutely unique, but I say pass on it unless you're willing to take the good with the bad. It does make splendid background music for most events, but few of its songs deserve the spotlight.
Official Site
Buy It
See Also: Inspired by Sia's appearance on The Garden.
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