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ZELIENOPLE
PAJAMA AVENUE (LOOSE THREAD RECORDING)
I'm not sure which geography their name refers
to, but when I saw the name Zelienople I immediately
thought "almost home to Pittsburgh!" from
all of those trips down I-79. The pictures
on the cover are of Chicago (their home), and
the music they play makes one think that they
might be from Germany. A very disorienting
pattern of thoughts for music that is so easy
to listen to (but isn't easy listening). They
play a kind of slowcore music, based very much
on guitar and bass, but often deeply buried
in electronic sounds, and very light drumming.
Vocalist Matt Christensen sings in a voice
that is always closer to a whisper than a scream,
very sleepy, very austere. It's a nice mix,
and seems to create a very comfortable feeling
in a dark room late at night, when the stillness
of silence can seem intimidating. With titles
like "It's Hard to Steal Cars" and "Back
to Dangerous" you can never be quite sure
what Christensen is actually singing about
(though the song "Christmas" vaguely
resembles that holiday feeling), but that is
far from being a matter of importance. It's
more about how comfortable they make the listener
feel, and even more about how music feels than
what it means. An aural anesthesia for the
troubled soul (now available without a prescription!).
(d.n.l)
AROL ZENDIK
STRANGE TIMES (ZENDIK)
Not long ago I came across a copy of Arol's
earlier release, Since You've Gone, for 50 cents.
Out of curiosity, I bought it and found that
when I listened, there was something more to
it than I had expected. Having encountered the
Zendik folks when their commune was near Austin,
I wasn't too sure what to expect. It was kind
of a eulogy to Wulf Zendik, their leader, and
Arol's mate of some 40 years before his death.
Like that album, this release starts out around
the steady shuffle of an almost machine like
blues bass and drums, and builds from there.
The second song is stronger, very eerie, and
on it goes. Arol has an interesting voice, not
unlike some of the later years of Nico (a kind
of mature sing-speak). Not particularly strong,
but one that compels the listener to listen
further. Some of the songs are worthy of a laugh
("Devil's Hometown (El Paso)" made
me smile before I even read the lyrics, which
in turn brought laughter). All of the songs
are long and semi-improvised. The earlier effort
was better, taking more chances musically, making
the songs as disquieting as her vocals. As a
musical curiosity, this is interesting, but
if you try to take it seriously it only seems
to end up funny. Strange times indeed. (d.n.l)
The Zincs
Dimmer (Thrill Jockey)
Basically the brainchild of Jim Elkington, a
Brit now based in Chicago, the Zincs' Thrill
Jockey debut is an interesting blend of detached
Euro cool attitude and warm Midwestern musical
tones. Some reviewers have referred to the band
as "Americana," which isn't terribly
accurate; while they use acoustic guitars and
some twanging instrumentation, the song constructions
are more of the cabaret and 60's pop variety.
Elkington's voice is a detached baritone that
is generally effective despite his rather limited
range. It's tonally similar to Tindersticks'
Stuart Staples but not nearly as dark and nicotine
stained as it offers equal parts solemnity and
serenity instead of Staples' rainy doom. Dimmer
is not an incredibly accessible record but is
well-crafted and has a number of strong individual
songs. (Andy Smith)
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