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Zikzak:
Anxotica
What ingredients go into a good pop record?
Catchy melodies juxtaposed with lyrics open to casual interpretation is
what I generally refer to as popular music, but only after listening to Anxotica
by the San Francisco band Zikzak did I see a need to question the
necessary parts of a pop recording. To
Zikzaks credit, this is because every song on Anxotica begins
with a very catchy melody, and I can think of a lot of artists that could
benefit from some of the instrumental song-crafting skills that Zikzaks
Todd Stadtman displays on this album. However,
the confusion comes in with Stadtman's lyrics. Certainly, comparisons to Elvis Costello are
justified - both artists use exquisitely crafted musical backdrops to showcase
their melodic and clear vocals, but after listening to Zikzak I cant help
feel as though the content of the lyrics is holding back some of the beauty in
the music. Its hard to fault
Zikzak for using the common subject matters of love and relationships, but the
in the end, songs like A Popular Girl and Shell Pull Me Through
seem like incomplete portraits of characters and places that the artist is
obviously more familiar with than the listener.
Songs like Expert and Slow Fade fare much better, because in
those, the lyrics dont contrast as much with the musical moods evoked by the
songs. The potential of the rocking
track Should I Tell Her Youve Gone is a bit dampered by the verse
melodies, but then the chorus kicks in with an intriguing sound that I would
have never expected to come from the same song. Some of Anxotica is uneasy listening,
because it is hard to connect with the singers state of mind, but the album
keeps surprising with positive twists in the musical arrangements and occasional
verses or choruses that are right on target for a solid pop record.
Zikzak is a curious sort of band, and in my opinion, theyd be
dangerously good if Stadtman finds some lyrics that connect a bit better with
his average listener.
This album can be purchased at Two Big Toes LEFT OFF THE DIAL's Zikzak page About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
