Zero 7

The first time I heard Zero 7 was probably when the majority of the population did, as we watched Garden State. The jazzy, yet mellow "In The Waiting Line," gave the perfect backdrop for the drug ridden scene that Zach Braff presents in his film; the song almost psychedelic, but with feet planted firmly on the ground. It was quickly after that I picked up two of their albums, When It Falls and The Garden.

Zero 7, made up of two Brits, Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker, and a smattering of guest performers, make jazz electronica a thing, and a thing we didn't know we were missing. Their album When It Falls, more electronic, goes back and forth between soft acoustic/synth ballads and upbeat instrumental orchestrations that would have just been hindered with words. No two songs sound the same, but the sound never changes. (Believe me, it's great driving music.)

Their album The Garden, is probably their most upbeat and whole. The jazz influence is most evident on this one with many big band sounds and arrangements. It also has the most impressive vocal lineup of their discography, pulling in acts like Jose Gonzalez and Sia Furler, better known now as the masked pop diva, Sia. Her unique vocals give Zero 7 the powerful balance that the instrumentation needs to be complete. Instantly recognizable, her voice almost fits better with a jazz band behind her than a pop synth group, which is more of her style now. She is still equally as impressive in her new endeavors, however.

While Sia sings a few tracks on When It Falls, one being the better known "Speed Dial No. 2," most of the female vocals are done by Sophie Barker and Tina Dico, their voices floating above the softness of the melody underneath them with a light and airy tone, a little more fitting than Furler's, for the mellow album.

Aside from the vocals, part of the reason Zero 7 are so impressive are for their instrumentations and the arrangements they have on the album without vocals. To this day, they are like no other group that I listen to, or have heard of. It's like a great movie soundtrack that you actually want to listen to without context of a scene in front of it. The duo actually formed an experimental instrumental project called Ingrid Eto after their release of The Garden, and before they made their fourth album Yeah Ghost. It would definitely be worth taking a listen to.

That being said, if you need something to help you get to sleep or space out tonight, I would highly recommend soothing your soul with this group. In the meantime, I have two more albums by them that I need to pick up, and I'm sure they are super rare and hard to find. (If you guys ever see any of their vinyl, please let me know.) Happy hunting!



Songs to drive to:
Home
Passing By
When It Falls
The Space Between
Speed Dial No. 2
Throw It All It Away
The Pageant of the Bizarre
You're My Flame
This Fine Social Scene
Your Place
Crosses
Waiting To Die