Tuesday 23 February 2010



QBiM SPiNS: Zeus Say Us

(photo: Chris Marshall)

Anticipation is a slippery slope to try and traverse.  Like mountains rising above the fog, that illicit moment seems untouchable; the distance measured in time rather than kilometers or miles makes getting to the end point slow and arduous, because though we can run a mile in 5 minutes, we can’t move through time at will (yet).  Oddly enough, the much-anticipated debut long player by Zeus, called Say Us, seems to do just that: move through time and space.

This could be due to the fact that “How Does it Feel?”, “I Know” and “Marching Through Your Head” are familiar to anyone who’s been following the band over the last year or so and who already owns the Sounds Like Zeus EP.  The album opens “How Does it Feel?” and my initial response to the titular question is “It kind of feels like I’ve been here before.”  The album’s second track, “Fever of the Time” is also oddly familiar, and I had to do a little digging to find out why:  it’s already in my music library thanks to an Arts & Crafts sampler CD released last year.  So if you’re keeping score, that’s 4 out of 12 tracks we’ve (i.e. me)  already heard before.

Is this such a bad thing?  Not really.  In context of the LP, the songs don’t stick out like sore thumbs; “Kindergarten” easily betters the previously released material and makes the purchase of the record worth it on it’s own.  It sounds like classic Sloan without the nerdy, whiny vocals (you know what I mean, don’t pretend you don’t!).  “The Renegade” showcases the tricks and style they’ve honed as Jason Collett’s backing band all these years, to the point where it’s musical arrangement could easily mistake it for a Collett track.  The playfulness of Zeus’ tinkling toy piano makes sure all these songs stay in that “fun and good times vibe” zone,  but it’s certainly not gimmicky or disposable.

Zeus have kept us waiting for Say Us for a very long time, and anticipation certainly grew in proportion to expectation during that time.  Is it what I expected?  Yeah, but truth be told, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting beyond a solid, strong LP.  They’ve confidently delivered a record that a) satisfies all those waiting breathlessly; and b) delivers on the promises of the earlier EP by providing more of the same great songwriting and playing, simultaneously sounding like something from days gone by and very much of today.

MP3: Zeus “Marching Through Your Head”
Myspace: Zeus





by J. Di Gioia | Comments Off

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