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Album Review: No Zu - Life

11 September 2012 | 10:16 am | Bradley Armstrong

All in all No Zu’s debut effort is a solid release that will no doubt have your hips shaking to the at times somewhat unconventional structure and instrumentation.

Life is the debut from Melbourne art-pop ensemble No Zu following on from their successful 2011 EP, New Age. From the outset the album has a certain feel to it – from the sound to the cover and disc art – seeming as if it is a lost gem tucked away in the back of a secondhand store that has finally been unearthed years later.

Opener Spiritual Heatwave kicks things off in a very tribal way, before a hip hop drum beat takes over and the whole track transforms into perhaps the most modern thing on the record. The seven-and-a-half minute Fa Foma Fi follows and has a very !!! feel to it, venturing to the Caribbean with steel drums leading the charge in amongst some damn solid danceable bass riffs and even channeling some Frank Sinatra call-and-response showmanship.

The whole album's feel is really continuous and flowing, making it seem akin to a big jam session or party. The bulkier tracks are generally split up with shy of two-minute snippets such as the funk-ay Telepathic Body and the sax-charged Si Lo Zu. Lead single Emotion really suits as the track to sum the whole experience up, with percussion flailing in every which direction, a solid beat and provoking vocals really driving the track home. 

All in all No Zu's debut effort is a solid release that will no doubt have your hips shaking to the at times somewhat unconventional structure and instrumentation. While it's a tad similar in parts to some other bands who seemingly beat them to the punch, that is by no means a deterrent to a great Australian release.

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