Zero 7’s “Yeah Ghost” is an Alluring New Sound
Floating on a mesmerizing stream of eccentric beats and fresh rhythms, Zero 7’s fourth album Yeah Ghost, sounds like it would be the perfect background music for one of those dreams that you strive desperately to remember. The innovative sounds that come streaming into the listeners ears seem to take him or her into a stratosphere not normally visited in everyday interactions, but are undoubtedly still there residing somewhere deep within the subconscious.
Their lyrics, when decipherable, meditate upon the enticing thoughts one might have when attracted to another, or the motivations behind acting kindly to others. Should someone let the music take over their body many of their tracks would invoke a very unique dance out of them. The beats seem so unconventional and bizarre independent of each other, but as they are meshed together strategically they flow perfectly as one, “Everything Up” is a perfect example of this. Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, the electronic duo from London, have delved into a deeper sound that hasn’t quite been penetrated before. Singer/songwriter Eksa Mtungwazi also helped to put a fresh spin on the album by lending her vocals to songs like “Medicine Man.” Other artists featured include Sia and Jose Gonzalez.
Some tracks like “Mr McGee” fill the listener with charisma and energy, while others like “The Road” take the listener into a rather melancholy state of mind. Zero 7 has captured the art of evoking emotion through music, and they use it most skillfully. If you really allow yourself to embrace the music, it will make you smile, and perhaps even cry. Just as the album draws you into this curious region of thought at the beginning, it delivers you from it in the end as well. The final song, “All of Us,” releases the listener from the trance-like state they may have found themselves in while enveloped in the music. Nonetheless, the listener is left wanting more.
Mr McGee
Everything Up (Zizou)