With their first album, Simple
Things, released just two and a half years
ago, Zero 7 gently took the world by storm. Their warm,
inviting, sound was rapidly snapped up by everyone from
trendy London bars to upmarket advertising agencies
and TV channels and their soft melodies and delicate
orchestrations, mixing electronic, acoustic and sumptuous
vocals became ubiquitous to the point where Zero 7 were
found right at the top of the charts.
Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker started their musical career
as producers, working with people as diverse as the
Pet Shop Boys and Robert
Plant. Toward the end of the nineties, they formed Zero
7, originally producing a series of remixes for Radiohead
and Terry Cailler before releasing their first EP, simply
entitled EP 1 in the early days of 2000. Limited
at just a thousand copies, EP 1 sold out almost
immediately, and was followed a few months later by
EP2 and Simple
Things. Despite being labelled as the British
Air, Zero 7 quickly established
the blend of sweeping melodies, breezy strings, chilled
acoustic guitars and delicate jazzy/funky bass lines
as their sound, with a handful of vocalists giving the
necessary pop substance to some of their compositions.
When It Falls was partly conceived during the
band’s extensive touring schedule over the last
two years and recorded in a house in Spain. Once again
featuring vocals from Sia Furler (Somersault,
Speed Dial No. 2), Sophie Baker (In Time,
Passing By) and Mozez (Warm Sound,
Over Our Heads), with new addition Tina Dico
gracing the sweet first single, Home, When
It Falls, like its predecessor, alternates between
sumptuous songs and evocative instrumentals. Very much
following in the footsteps of Simple
Things, When It Falls is everything
but a departure. In fact, it rapidly occurs that, despite
the suave melodies and beautiful orchestration, Binns
and Hardaker play too safe with this record. Conscious
not to destabilise their fans the way Air
did with 10,000Hz
Legend, Zero 7 unfortunately end up creating
an almost perfect copy of their first album. If When
It Falls is likely to please the masses, it can’t
help but disappoint the more demanding listener. Remains
some charming moments (Home, Somersault,
the superb In Time), and a funkier sound on
the clever Look Up, with its Stevie Wonder-esque
harmonica tracing smokey shapes on a summery blue sky,
by far the best moment on here. All too little to really
salvage an otherwise rather dull record.
When It Falls is far from being a bad album.
Beautifully written and produced, this album is the
perfect winter blues antidote. Yet, with the likes of
Blue States or
Bent trading on very similar grounds, and often with
more aplomb and experimental edge, Zero 7 find themselves
in a dead end with When It Falls. As the pair
relies too much on their originally sound, their forget
to injects some life into their work.
2.1/5 |
