Insight & Critique
  • DAC
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact

Zoo Riots - Arbutus Skin Lady

6/9/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Zoo Riots

​Arbutus Skin Lady
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By William Morrow
​
Hailing from British Colombia, Zoo Riots is a band that combine aspects of R&B, blues and psychedelia to achieve their unique indie rock sound. To be honest, when I first sat down and listened to Zoo Riot’s newest EP Arbutus Skin Lady I thought it was Alt-J; and I mean that in a very positive way. The oftentimes smooth, mellow vocals combined with two-part harmonies and lofty falsetto strikes a similar chord to that of This Is All Yours.

​
The members of Zoo Riots are long-time friends, so it seems fitting that they recorded Arbutus Skin Lady in the house that sheltered them all at a point in time. Throughout the EP, it is easy to hear the passion that these individuals have for both music and each other.

Arbutus Skin Lady is mainly built on dynamics and it predominantly relies on heavy layering of guitars and vocal arrangements to achieve its desired sound. Most of the tunes, such as “If No One Sees It” and “Vultures” begin delicately, yet build to heavy climaxes that are emotionally rich. Oftentimes the problem with music that constantly builds is that the production cannot keep up, leaving the climaxes rather ineffective and bland, however this is not the case with Arbutus Skin Lady. The production is just as solid as the songwriting, making it possible for Zoo Riots to pull off the large and intricate sound that they sought to achieve.

The EP starts out with a very tasteful short song titled “If No One Sees It” that begins with a nice picking pattern coated with some blackface tremolo. Even though this song was quite curt, and the lyrics were sparse, I found that it contained a lot of elements of music that I liked— building guitars, groovy bass and a catchy vocal hook. I found the overflowing transition into “Diamond Shades” to be an odd choice, as the riff that connected the two songs stops abruptly, leading into something completely different that seems to allow the song to take its true form.

My favorite song of the EP is the closing track “Vultures” which functions extremely well as a closer. It is dark, climactic and a bit mysterious. I found the tightness of the instrumentation (as well as the harmonies) to be pretty impressive, making it even more clear to me that this band has been playing together for over three years. Their familiarity and comfortability playing with each other is pervasive throughout the music, and “Vultures” is a wonderful example of the amazing synchronization between the members. Music such as this is not written within a few days, and Zoo Riots is a great example of a band that took its time in its creative process and it definitely paid off.  

Overall, I found Arbutus Skin Lady to be a very nice work of art. My only complaint about the music is that I would occasionally find myself a bit distracted by all of the culminating parts. It is typical for a band to want to pack everything into their first release, as they want to demonstrate to their audience how much they can do. With Zoo Riots, it is evident that they can do many, many things, and it is certainly better to have to tame one’s natural abilities as opposed to struggling with limitations.
Become A Fan
Tweet
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

       Critique/insight

    We are dedicated to informing the public about the different types of independent  music that is available for your listening pleasure as well as giving the artist a professional critique from a seasoned music geek. We critique a wide variety of niche genres like experimental, IDM, electronic, ambient, shoegaze and much more.

    Tweets by divideanconqer
    Are you one of our faithful visitors who enjoys our website? Like us on Facebook


    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012

Company

About
Contributors

Newsletter

Newsletter
Book Your Band

© Divide and Conquer 2021. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • DAC
  • Indie Music Album Reviews
  • About
  • Submissions
  • Top albums
  • Features
  • Contact