As the fourth studio album from the trip-hop musical duo Zero 7, Yeah Ghost begins to showcase the duos chameleon like abilities in producing music that spans various genres and incorporates significantly different musical approaches from track to track. Unlike the duos popular debut studio album (Simple Things) which garnered substantial attention from mainstream audiences seeking an indie outlet without the hassle of searching far beyond the Garden State motion picture soundtrack, Yeah Ghost invites listeners to travel further down the rabbit hole into a popery of traditional Zero 7 elements intertwined with extremes on both the far end of the indie spectrum and commercial spectrum alike.
Yeah Ghost plays like a futuristic trial in assessing ones tastes and distastes in musical appeal. As such, it is unlikely that anyone but die hard Zero 7 fans will find themselves enjoying more than two tracks back to back when listening to the album in sequence. The variety in musical approach is presented immediately with the opening tracks. From “Count Me Out,” which is sounds more like Zero 7’s spin on an orchestra tuning than a cohesive song, to “Mr. McGee,” a commercial pop track with neo-soul vocal elements similar to that of Gnarls Barkley, it is apparent from the very beginning that the dynamic duo will keep you guessing from track to track throughout the entirety of Yeah Ghost. Original elements of the Zero 7 we first became acquainted with in the golden years of Simple Things and When it Falls can still be found in the energetic yet tasteful “Pop Art Blue,” while a culmination of original Zero 7 elements alongside edgy commercial elements can be found in “Everything Up (Zizou).”
While Yeah Ghost is more similar in style to the edgier and less traditional Zero 7 studio album it immediately follows (The Garden), it retains apparent yet subtle artifacts of the original Zero 7 albums that first gained our attention and excitement. Yeah Ghost is different, and although most tracks get better with each play, Yeah Ghost is more of an acquired taste that begs the attention of Zero 7 fans who were originally lured in by a musical group that sounded far different than they do today.
I was sold as soon as I read your Garden State quip, so true!
ReplyDeleteIt feels like your being critical,,, and thats good
ReplyDeleteThe first paragraph seems a little bit difficult to read and doesn't seem to flow together quite as well as the rest of the review, but overall I would say this review is solid.
ReplyDeleteI would agree that the first paragraph is a little confusing. I would cut some of your sentence in half and I think it would read better. But very descriptive, I liked it.
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