Zu

VIMTV Episode #35: Zu – Carboniferous

Jake: Somewhat Recommended, 71/100

Tom: Recommended, 89/100

Overview: This Italian trio, comprised solely of bass, saxophone, and drums (except the occasional guitar riff, courtesy of Buzz Osborne), makes free-form jazz sound like a hellish nightmare. Produced by Mike Patton, who also supplies vocals for a track (the only vocals on the album), this album is abrasive, raw, distorted, noisy, and fun just about all the way through. The rhythms are complex but tight. The saxophone sounds like a demon. The time changes could make Geddy Lee blush. For Jake and Tom, the two things that take away from this album the most is Mike Patton’s vocal appearance, and the cop-out of an ending track.

Recommended Similar Artists: doesn’t sound like much else that already exists, except maybe some other Mike Patton projects (like Mr. Bungle), maybe a tiny bit of Glassjaw or Tool

Jake’s Track Picks: