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Zero 7 - Simple Things — music review

by Kris ⋅ October 31, 2005 ⋅ Comment now ⋅ Subscribe RSS

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dreamlogic.net's MUSIC REVIEW . Zero 7 . Simple Things Now Zero 7 is neither a household name nor a new duck. Hide-and-seeking in UK obscurity, they never truly made it to the States yet. Hmm, our loss. They have been featured on a few soundtracks (Blue Crush, Garden State, TV’s Roswell and CSI and UK commercials), so perhaps they’ll be recognized soon. *crosses fingers*

The duo, Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, began fraternizing since their humble beginnings as “teaboys” at RAK, a London recording studio. They would sneak in after hours and “fuck around” according to Hardaker. Their name was lifted from a Honduran dance club and that isn’t where their tendency to borrow ended. While at RAK, they would analyze popular and classic artists to figure out riffs and sequences. It was a learning and experimental process that sounded more enjoyable than studious.

Simple Things infuses slow, futuristic-jazz sounds reminiscent of retro soul and R&B and “almost lounge” goodies from Marvin Gaye, et al. Of course, the keyboard supplied bass line is full of pleasantly lazy finger-walking and pitch slides. The title track’s first refrain reminds me of the score for the extraplanetary French animation Fantastic Planet with eerie scale slide drops, trills, bleeps and bloops. For an acoustic version, try earlier track Polaris. Zero 7’s sound is never technically confounded by overdone superfluous crust, although it’s layers are evident. They are about as similar as they are dissimilar to languid Euro/English electronica bands such as Air, meaning they might be filed in the same genre section but their grooves are distinct.

Lending equally smooth vocals are Mozez, Sophie Barker, and Sia Furler, whose sounds are approachable sultry. There’s a little more snap to Australian crooner Sia’s style, so her voice is perfect for the sassy, sardonic Distractions: “Fancy a big house two kids and a horse/ I cannot quite but nearly guarantee a divorce… I love you I do/ I only make jokes to distract myself from the truth.” Sophie Barker has one of those voices that is so placid, it can easily be described as pulse-lowering. The beautifully esoteric Waiting Line and Spinning are welcoming trances. *sigh*

Even the title, Simple Things, sets the tone not only for the sounds but the entire listening experience. It suggests acts of relaxation and collection, reflection of longing and innocence. *double sigh* Zero 7 is so smooth, so easy, I doubt they’ll be heard in the background for much longer.

About the Author

dreamlogic.net -- KRIS KOBAYASHI-NELSON

Kris Kobayashi-Nelson will listen to anything once. Her favorites include Trip Hop, oldschool Jazz (Sonny Rollins), electronica (Drum n Bass, Dubstyle, Glitch), Indie, Experimental, Funk, Punk, Folk, Classical (Rachmaninoff, Liszt, Chopin)… footfalls through November leaves, zipper pulls in the dryer, or ice clinking in a Summer glass… music is all around us!