First off, I can't believe i'm still biking. I know something's up with the weather but I can't help but enjoy the mild weather we've been having. On my way home from the show I saw far too many bare legged girls, OK it's not that warm out ladies!
Anyways, Zero 7 we're pretty good. Sound wise they were spot on, just really fantastic sounding band. Their song selection as I expected was from their new album titled Hey Ghost. It's sort of a fusion of pop and overly electronic tunes. Their pop as usual has an extremely strong female voice leading the tune.
I feel as though this band will never live up to their 2001 release Simple Things. That album is definitely on my top twenty albums of the decade. From start to finish it has a really distinct sound, one that I would call electronica but I wouldn't call rock. It's sort of in between. I look at RJD2 the same way too... It's sort of a mystery but it's alternative music that people who like rock are interested in. So i'll just leave it as alternative music.
I have to say Simple Things had a tremendously long shelf life. I think I first purchased that album in Miami, Florida, probably six years ago. It's sort of stayed on my radar non-stop since then. I know when Garden State was released it got a serious kick up. I believe MTV used the tune "Destiny" in an ad as well... Zero 7 never got that push that the Shins got from Garden State, but I guess they never needed Natalie Portman's seal of approval.
Zero 7 are from London, England, the two guys names are Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. Throughout the whole show they sort of stayed behind the seams, but always keeping the energy high. Since their first albums they've always had tremendously strong women fronting the majority of their tunes, or at very least their best ones. For their live gig they had two women, Eska and Olivia Chaney. I really dug the bit they put on their Myspace page:
Zero 7 Live Band
Zero 7's live show features singers Eska and Olivia Chaney as well as long time collaborators and band members Eddie Stevens, Robin Mullarkey and Tom Skinner.
Eska has worked with Mercury nominees The Invisible, Cinematic Orchestra and Matthew Herbert and Olivia Chaney will be introducing a folky flavour to the Zero 7 sound with her harmonium and acoustic guitar. Vocalist Martha Tilston will also be joining them on stage at selected shows.
More info on the singers via the following links:
http://www.myspace.com/eskaonline
http://www.myspace.com/oliviachaney
http://www.myspace.com/marthatilston
Pretty much sums it up. Olivia Chaney gave their tunes a folkier flare, especially the tune "In the Waiting Line". I really had to leave the gig early because I have a colossal paper due tomorrow (that I should be doing now...). This was the second last song I heard and the first song of their encore. I told myself I wasn't leaving until I heard this song, as I knew they'd playing because of some pre-concert homework. Chaney came out with an acoustic guitar and the guitar/bass/cello player came out with the cello. Given he plucked most of the time giving it a light bouncy feel - and the only time I felt like they were similar songs was when she say the chorus lines of the tune.
I much prefered the rendition of "Destiny" which was sung by the delicate, but strong voice of Eska. It really worked with what they were doing. I read a review before that said she wasn't a good match for the tune, but I really enjoyed it. It was a livelier version that moved quicker but the song sort of found it's way. The thing I really liked about the recorded version was the sounds heard right at the beginning and the sound of the acoustic guitar. Neither were present, there was an electric and different sounds to accompany compliments of Hardaker and Binns. The tune found its way nearing the bridge where it actually sounded like the original. I got the drift that they didn't like playing their older material anymore. One of the two guys introduced it as one of their "really fucking old ones". I guess it is, it's been eight years since that album came out. I would've really like to have caught that tour, that would've been a really solid tour and I bet they had both Sia and Sophie Barker (voice behind - "In the Waiting Line". And my favourite scene from Garden State!
I feel by this time i've seen Zero 7 twice, as last year I had the pleasure of seeing Sia at the Opera House. I remember going alone and I wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of going alone to shows but I did it anyways. I think I was living at my first place out. I really like my Sia review, i think it reflects how I wish i felt at this concert.
I feel like I saw the Zero 7 I wanted to see at the Sia show. Pitty. I'll go see them when they tour with Sia, I think the show would be that much more powerful! The women they had on board were great, they have really lovely voices, I just wasn't feeling it, although Eska's really got me on the very first song she did live. I thought Chaney did a really nice job of the Binki Sharpiro song "Swing".
Hope Sia tour soon! I couldn't get "Day Too Soon" out of my head after seeing her at the Opera House.
And who could forget the ending to Six Feet Under...
Anyways, Zero 7 we're pretty good. Sound wise they were spot on, just really fantastic sounding band. Their song selection as I expected was from their new album titled Hey Ghost. It's sort of a fusion of pop and overly electronic tunes. Their pop as usual has an extremely strong female voice leading the tune.
I feel as though this band will never live up to their 2001 release Simple Things. That album is definitely on my top twenty albums of the decade. From start to finish it has a really distinct sound, one that I would call electronica but I wouldn't call rock. It's sort of in between. I look at RJD2 the same way too... It's sort of a mystery but it's alternative music that people who like rock are interested in. So i'll just leave it as alternative music.
I have to say Simple Things had a tremendously long shelf life. I think I first purchased that album in Miami, Florida, probably six years ago. It's sort of stayed on my radar non-stop since then. I know when Garden State was released it got a serious kick up. I believe MTV used the tune "Destiny" in an ad as well... Zero 7 never got that push that the Shins got from Garden State, but I guess they never needed Natalie Portman's seal of approval.
Zero 7 are from London, England, the two guys names are Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker. Throughout the whole show they sort of stayed behind the seams, but always keeping the energy high. Since their first albums they've always had tremendously strong women fronting the majority of their tunes, or at very least their best ones. For their live gig they had two women, Eska and Olivia Chaney. I really dug the bit they put on their Myspace page:
Zero 7 Live Band
Zero 7's live show features singers Eska and Olivia Chaney as well as long time collaborators and band members Eddie Stevens, Robin Mullarkey and Tom Skinner.
Eska has worked with Mercury nominees The Invisible, Cinematic Orchestra and Matthew Herbert and Olivia Chaney will be introducing a folky flavour to the Zero 7 sound with her harmonium and acoustic guitar. Vocalist Martha Tilston will also be joining them on stage at selected shows.
More info on the singers via the following links:
http://www.myspace.com/eskaonline
http://www.myspace.com/oliviachaney
http://www.myspace.com/marthatilston
Pretty much sums it up. Olivia Chaney gave their tunes a folkier flare, especially the tune "In the Waiting Line". I really had to leave the gig early because I have a colossal paper due tomorrow (that I should be doing now...). This was the second last song I heard and the first song of their encore. I told myself I wasn't leaving until I heard this song, as I knew they'd playing because of some pre-concert homework. Chaney came out with an acoustic guitar and the guitar/bass/cello player came out with the cello. Given he plucked most of the time giving it a light bouncy feel - and the only time I felt like they were similar songs was when she say the chorus lines of the tune.
I much prefered the rendition of "Destiny" which was sung by the delicate, but strong voice of Eska. It really worked with what they were doing. I read a review before that said she wasn't a good match for the tune, but I really enjoyed it. It was a livelier version that moved quicker but the song sort of found it's way. The thing I really liked about the recorded version was the sounds heard right at the beginning and the sound of the acoustic guitar. Neither were present, there was an electric and different sounds to accompany compliments of Hardaker and Binns. The tune found its way nearing the bridge where it actually sounded like the original. I got the drift that they didn't like playing their older material anymore. One of the two guys introduced it as one of their "really fucking old ones". I guess it is, it's been eight years since that album came out. I would've really like to have caught that tour, that would've been a really solid tour and I bet they had both Sia and Sophie Barker (voice behind - "In the Waiting Line". And my favourite scene from Garden State!
I feel by this time i've seen Zero 7 twice, as last year I had the pleasure of seeing Sia at the Opera House. I remember going alone and I wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of going alone to shows but I did it anyways. I think I was living at my first place out. I really like my Sia review, i think it reflects how I wish i felt at this concert.
I feel like I saw the Zero 7 I wanted to see at the Sia show. Pitty. I'll go see them when they tour with Sia, I think the show would be that much more powerful! The women they had on board were great, they have really lovely voices, I just wasn't feeling it, although Eska's really got me on the very first song she did live. I thought Chaney did a really nice job of the Binki Sharpiro song "Swing".
Hope Sia tour soon! I couldn't get "Day Too Soon" out of my head after seeing her at the Opera House.
And who could forget the ending to Six Feet Under...
No comments:
Post a Comment