Review:

on 2009-06-04 no_death Said:

If you find any press or reviews of Zolof you can bet on the fact they will be described as sugary, a band so sweet that you could get cavities from listening to their releases. They even compare their sound to that of being beaten in the head with a candy bar. It's a little surprising then that the music that is showcased on this latest effort is distinctly non-saccharine.

Having previously released Jalopy Go Far back in 2003 on Eyeball Records they moved to Le Pamplemousse, another independent for their third release. This independent spirit however, might be what's holding the band back from mainstream success. They have been championed by Motion City Soundtrack, performed a duet with Reel Big Fish and were formed in part by Circa Survive and Sound Of Animals Fighting front man Anthony Green. Yet even with this on their resume they still, quite confusingly, remain in the pop punk shadows. But maybe the reason for their relative unknown status is their possible musical mislabelling. People tuning in for a punk record are forced into leaving by the unashamedly pop hooks, and the oft-downbeat subjects of the songs put off the pop fans. Whatever it is, it's certainly not a problem of musical talent.

Carrying on from their previous efforts the overbearing guitars and keyboard rocket off skywards with The Way It Goes, only coming down after The Moon and Mars to close the album with the stop-start melodic power pop of So Scared. Everything about the sound is catchy and appealing; with twinkling guitars and poppy bass it's difficult to imagine how this could be anything but a celebratory album about everything that's good. But this is where the lyrics take precedent broaching, as they do, the subjects of mentally destructive relationships and the shit state of musical affairs music fans find themselves in. These act as a counterpoint to the cheery chorus' of 'heys' and the synth's ever-present pop laden hooks. Singles Can't Stand It and Death or Radio contain the twin pop vocals and the background wall of pop AC/DC on pixie sticks riffs that have become a staple of the band. So all in all its pretty much business as usual. This isn't a complaint really however, as this is the sound of a band that have realized what they do best, and while the lyrics show a degree of maturity from previous releases they're still strongest when creating bounce-a-long happy pop.

Maybe they will never obtain the heady heights of pop-rock fame achieved by their contemporaries, but their incompatibility with the mainstream is what makes them endearing and allows them to do what they want. Which if this LP is anything to go on, is to have as much fun as possible.

Rating: 8/10