As I edge into my late thirties, you might imagine that some of the magic of a new LP might have worn off. Yet, even now, there’s a wonderful feeling of excitement when approaching a new release. There’s something particularly electrifying about a band who have really put their heart and soul into producing something that can be legitimately termed art, and Zevious, with their LP Lowlands have done exactly that. Housed in a single sleeve, it is adorned with an image created by Bryan Olson and it looks amazing. Even before a single note is heard, the band have made their impression and although good art does not always correspond with good music, it is the case enough of the time to make a good bet. Of course, the fact that lowlands is out via the wonderful Nefarious Industries makes my bet a particularly safe one, for the label has yet to disappoint with one of their offerings.
A cursory glance at the internet reveals the unlikely information that Zevious started out their musical life as a jazz trio and that the band’s 2007, self-titled debut was a densely packed and technical jazz piece that saw the band playing live in jazz bars. Somehow, circa 2008 (according to the band’s bio), prog rock sensibilities started to creep in and, as the band traded in their set of instruments for more traditional rock fare and a wide array of distortion pedals, so they transitioned to the instrumental power-trio we have before us today. Upon hearing the record for the first time, the likes of King Crimson and Fugazi raced through my brain and, upon reading the band’s background, the jazz influence makes a good degree of sense. Nonetheless, lowlands, for me, has more in common with the awesome no-wave and art rock bands that Martin Bisi nurtured in his studio than with Davis or Coltrane.
Such cross-pollination of genres is to be welcomed, because it is here, where different elements collide, that the most interesting music is made and, right from the outset, lowlands is a fascinating journey across a musical landscape so mottled with influences that, if it were to be rendered as a piece of art, it would be a Dali painting. Opening track tube lord sets the band’s stall out admirably, Mike Eber’s creeping guitar casting a brightly coloured net around Johnny DeBlase’s evily-distorted bass lines. When Radiohead announced that their landmark album, OK Computer, had been influenced by Bitches Brew, this is the sound that many anticipated, although none could have foreseen, in that band, the ferocity of Jeff Eber’s remarkable performance on drums. Razor sharp, for all that it feels improvised, tube lord is a powerful opening indeed, and it leaves very little ground for ambivalence. You’ll find yourself either hooked absolutely or repelled with considerable force and it’s hard to imagine Zevious would have it any other way. Interlocking guitar lines and thunderous percussion drives Smear Campaign into Sonic Youth territory (Confusion is sex era) with the discordant riffing setting the groundwork for a track that blazes with rock ‘n’ roll fury. The listener is reminded of the plunging rush of I wanna be your dog as it emerges from Freezer burn, the band playing with dynamics that owe as much to the seek and destroy ethos of punk as to jazz-infused mayhem.
With the dissonance still ringing, Slaves of rotor emerges in an altogether darker place, drawing from the post-rock ambience of Slint, Mogwai and even a touch of Fragile-era Nine Inch Nails to craft a very different vibe. It’s a necessary come down after the rampant violence of smear campaign, although a latent menace serves to unpick any sense of relaxation that may be afforded by the quiet and leave the listener tense and on-guard, which is as well given the huge, metallic riffs that emerge in the second half of the song. This is, simply put, amazing music, and the fact that it is instrumental only adds to its ability to stimulate the imagination.
Opening up the second side, Ritual based symmetries is a nimble and bright piece of music that stands in stark contrast to the creeping horror of slaves of rotor. That’s not to say it’s not heavy, and the interplay between Jeff’s sublime percussive assault and Johnny’s brick-heavy bass-lines is crucial here, the rhythm section locking in to a brutal, minimalist groove so as to allow Mike’s guitar the freedom necessary to soar. Things take a heavier turn with Null Island, a track that digs into the same heady mix of influences as Fugazi on the (largely instrumental) instrument soundtrack. Reverb drenched guitars and gruelling bass flood the senses and lead the listener neatly to Sensor recall, a heavy, heavy prog tune that slips gently into Opeth territory without losing that sense of spontaneity that lies at the core of the album. The album heads back into no wave territory with the grinding Slow reach, a doom-Laden piece awash with noise and a sense of impending catastrophe. It brings the album to a suitably oblique conclusion and leaves the listener somewhat distraught as they are roused from the reverie it inspires.
Lowlands is one of those rare records that you can listen to a million times and you’ll always hear something new within. Without vocals to lead the listener to a particular place, instrumental music has the ability to stimulate the senses and Zevious make a perfect case for this. Exceptionally talented, they never allow their proficiency to overshadow the importance of the song and, as a result, lowlands feels spontaneous and alive with possibility. The beautiful vinyl pressing, with Bryan Olson’s stunning artwork, is the icing on the cake – this is an exceptional piece of work in whatever format you discover it. 10
