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CD
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BORNBAD 184CD
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$12.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/7/2025
Some record crates deserve a sub-category called "play it again, Sam." Casablanca-level comfort tracks that spin on the turntables without a push. Funk Kraut, Zombie Zombie's second LP on Born Bad, is of this kind. This well-proportioned classic is a fine example of the style the trio has been embodying: instrumental music played live, for synths and drums. And as far as funk goes, it's not Bootsy Collins, but there's a whiff. Space is structured by synth patterns, for optimized drumming: forward, straight and fluid, top-notch suspension (Cosmic Neman/Dr Schönberg take care of business on drums). They treat themselves to a diversion via Darmstadt to take some musique concrete on board: mechanical birds chirp, the odd atonal piano here and there. This was a quick affair, recorded by Laurent Deboisgisson in the studio of Cheveu's singer. A pretty straightforward job, and a far cry from their previous concept album. The cover, designed by Dddixie, sets the tone with its "Motorik Vibes & Stereo Grooves" sticker. Motorik, absolutely, it's autobahn time for 45mn. With "Densité," comes a polyphonic milestone: outright chords! Long, suspended pads, pierced only by fat claps. Clapping hands are not far off. The band shows it has mastered concise pop formats. Zombie Zombie sounds ready to write themes for niche TV series. "Aurillac Accident" documents a haphazard soundcheck which, once in the studio, became a bitter ballad, breaking apart into dubby gravy. Live, the two drummers face each other, and it's always a treat to witness the very fine intertwining that makes the band's signature sound: rich drums, percussion and West Coast synths stabs. This aspect of their work appears in "Snare Attack" and "Double Z," with its jogging hi-hats and creepy little toy piano motifs. Cardio levels are high on "Dodorian," perfect track for depraved spinning classes, with its moving filter, disco arpeggios and flashes of synthetic brass. "Magnavox Odyssey," a nostalgic but bouncy synth lasagna, brings this album to a majestic close, picking up where the band left off: no more singing in Latin, back to basics, play it again Sam.
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LP
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BORNBAD 184LP
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$21.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 3/7/2025
LP version. Some record crates deserve a sub-category called "play it again, Sam." Casablanca-level comfort tracks that spin on the turntables without a push. Funk Kraut, Zombie Zombie's second LP on Born Bad, is of this kind. This well-proportioned classic is a fine example of the style the trio has been embodying: instrumental music played live, for synths and drums. And as far as funk goes, it's not Bootsy Collins, but there's a whiff. Space is structured by synth patterns, for optimized drumming: forward, straight and fluid, top-notch suspension (Cosmic Neman/Dr Schönberg take care of business on drums). They treat themselves to a diversion via Darmstadt to take some musique concrete on board: mechanical birds chirp, the odd atonal piano here and there. This was a quick affair, recorded by Laurent Deboisgisson in the studio of Cheveu's singer. A pretty straightforward job, and a far cry from their previous concept album. The cover, designed by Dddixie, sets the tone with its "Motorik Vibes & Stereo Grooves" sticker. Motorik, absolutely, it's autobahn time for 45mn. With "Densité," comes a polyphonic milestone: outright chords! Long, suspended pads, pierced only by fat claps. Clapping hands are not far off. The band shows it has mastered concise pop formats. Zombie Zombie sounds ready to write themes for niche TV series. "Aurillac Accident" documents a haphazard soundcheck which, once in the studio, became a bitter ballad, breaking apart into dubby gravy. Live, the two drummers face each other, and it's always a treat to witness the very fine intertwining that makes the band's signature sound: rich drums, percussion and West Coast synths stabs. This aspect of their work appears in "Snare Attack" and "Double Z," with its jogging hi-hats and creepy little toy piano motifs. Cardio levels are high on "Dodorian," perfect track for depraved spinning classes, with its moving filter, disco arpeggios and flashes of synthetic brass. "Magnavox Odyssey," a nostalgic but bouncy synth lasagna, brings this album to a majestic close, picking up where the band left off: no more singing in Latin, back to basics, play it again Sam.
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CD
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BORNBAD 154CD
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Until now, Zombie Zombie mostly pushed the song for covers (Iggy Pop, Sun Ra or New Order). For this new album, they built long harmonic progressions, along with singer Angèle Chemin, a soprano familiar with contemporary music, and Laura Etchegoyhen, Swiss army knife of Basque origin. You know it, even if you haven't worn out your bottoms on the pews of a church: Latin sings well. But, why Latin?: "We wanted to remain mysterious, to send cryptic messages, to dive back into a language from another time, like the copyist monks of the Middle Ages." And like their hooded ancestors, they do whatever they want with the text, and add porn illuminations in the corners, for those who know how to listen closely. Zombie Zombie is fifteen years old, or 90 years in group-years (multiply by six: more than a cat, less than a dog). That would have been enough to rest on their laurels, with an old fashioned in each hand. But no: they went for full-on fat and reverberated doom orgy. Choir work hints at the arrangements of David Axelrod or Ennio Morricone, with chanted syllables on several titles ("Lacrymosa", "Consortium"). This album gambles hard. Decidedly, Vae Vobis is not your average 122 bpm banger party. It's a well-balanced album, worth listening to in one go, to let each trap-of-a-track work its magic. E.g. "Ring Modulus", which, under its strong structure, houses extended-vocal-technique ornaments. Or "Aurora", a megalomaniac jewel cut to open the circus games. The brass section of Dr Schönberg and Etienne Jaumet plays it peplum style, along martial percussions banged on by big dudes in leather sandals. A disruptive album after more than ten years at Versatile Records -- an oddity born in the anxiety-fueled lockdown -- no matter: there's everything you love about Zombie Zombie, starting with their musical know-how. The ubiquitous vocoders are pushed to their limits. Sax, trumpet, and percussion come and add color to the record. The trio's musical tastes cover 95% of the styles listed by Discogs. So, it's no surprise that the black metal/doom reference is absolutely assumed. Each piece is a launching platform for big lyrical flights. There's space in the compositions: drums beat from the depth of time, as they would, in rather short pieces that will flourish on stage (hoping that the venues let them bring in the brilliant choristers). CD version includes 16-page booklet.
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LP
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BORNBAD 154LP
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LP version. Includes printed under sleeve and download code. Until now, Zombie Zombie mostly pushed the song for covers (Iggy Pop, Sun Ra or New Order). For this new album, they built long harmonic progressions, along with singer Angèle Chemin, a soprano familiar with contemporary music, and Laura Etchegoyhen, Swiss army knife of Basque origin. You know it, even if you haven't worn out your bottoms on the pews of a church: Latin sings well. But, why Latin?: "We wanted to remain mysterious, to send cryptic messages, to dive back into a language from another time, like the copyist monks of the Middle Ages." And like their hooded ancestors, they do whatever they want with the text, and add porn illuminations in the corners, for those who know how to listen closely. Zombie Zombie is fifteen years old, or 90 years in group-years (multiply by six: more than a cat, less than a dog). That would have been enough to rest on their laurels, with an old fashioned in each hand. But no: they went for full-on fat and reverberated doom orgy. Choir work hints at the arrangements of David Axelrod or Ennio Morricone, with chanted syllables on several titles ("Lacrymosa", "Consortium"). This album gambles hard. Decidedly, Vae Vobis is not your average 122 bpm banger party. It's a well-balanced album, worth listening to in one go, to let each trap-of-a-track work its magic. E.g. "Ring Modulus", which, under its strong structure, houses extended-vocal-technique ornaments. Or "Aurora", a megalomaniac jewel cut to open the circus games. The brass section of Dr Schönberg and Etienne Jaumet plays it peplum style, along martial percussions banged on by big dudes in leather sandals. A disruptive album after more than ten years at Versatile Records -- an oddity born in the anxiety-fueled lockdown -- no matter: there's everything you love about Zombie Zombie, starting with their musical know-how. The ubiquitous vocoders are pushed to their limits. Sax, trumpet, and percussion come and add color to the record. The trio's musical tastes cover 95% of the styles listed by Discogs. So, it's no surprise that the black metal/doom reference is absolutely assumed. Each piece is a launching platform for big lyrical flights. There's space in the compositions: drums beat from the depth of time, as they would, in rather short pieces that will flourish on stage (hoping that the venues let them bring in the brilliant choristers).
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12"
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VER 061EP
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After their album A Land For Renegades and a worldwide tour where their live performance rocks the crowd, Zombie Zombie came back into the studio to deliver us "Dog Walker," a percussive song in the vein of Liquid Liquid, no doubt their more club-friendly track! Danton Eeprom takes care of remixing "Texas Rangers" for a minimal funk riot which will haunt you. Tune alert!
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