Style: experimental, indie
Label: self-released
Year: 2010
Home: Philadelphia
Members: Evan Hayford ~ all instruments
Pronounced zaz, rhyming with razz, Zsasz is the new breed of homespun musicians that modern technology is allowing to practice their art & spread their creativity like never before. It is this breed that includes Moby, who recorded his stuff in his mom's house, while its the same attitude that spurred the Sex Pistols. It's music of expression. It's music with no bounds, no commercial expectations &, in this case, no unreliable bandmates. It's music that dismantles all the foundations & tears down all the boundaries. Some people even say this approach goes far & destroys too much & becomes unlistenable. Perhaps, on some level, it is. But, so are many of the live bootlegs of the Velvet Underground with 30 minute chunks of sound given such 'deep' titles as "The Nothing Song." But, without that we'd never have Lou Reed's "Walk On The Wild Side" or the majestically tormented Magic & Loss. This collection was recorded during two years in New York & like the city it's gritty, in your face & undoubtedly moody & twisted. Sparse & minimalist is the feeling here, even when there's a cloud of distorted guitars, with the sense that the point is not to make a wall of impregnable sound. Quasi-sung stories/poetry, albeit "Your Body Is Familiar" is a spoken monologue through a distorted microphone & a highlight of the collection, over melodic guitars & a steady drumbeat go from echoing Black Flag to indie alt-rock. Though with only one song clocking in over two minutes the songs could be easily expanded because of few of the pieces straddle the abyss between being poetry ("On Your Knees") with beats or fully developed songs ("Headache"). Evan doesn't charge for his music, believing his music should be freely shared & is working on a concept album of serial killers. If he sticks to the darker elements evident on Audio Pornography it should be a twisted foray worth hearing.
Love it, awesome awesome awesome. Comparing to Moby is huge, but this guy deserves it.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right. Comparing to Moby is huge, though it's a comparison to pre-MTV Moby. But, he's the only person I could think which a recognizable name. If I compared Zsasz to a guy nobody knows but better matches it wouldn't quite have the same meaning. The inherent trouble with music reviews...
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