Zombi

The duo Zombi (named after the Dawn of the Dead film – specifically its Italian title) has made a half dozen full-lengthers and at least as many EPs, mini-albums and split releases. Here’s an EP – that is effectively album-length (five instrumental tracks running half-an-hour feels a bit like Pink Floyd to me) and continues on in the vein of post-rock/minimalism with just a hint of prog’s wider influence – but none of the fat.

Anthony Paterra (Majeure) and Steve Moore (solo artist/multi-instrumentalist) combine drums (Paterra) and synths (Moore) to make moods that hint at soundtrack work, without ever actually being an official score to anything you’ll see. There’s a strong feel of John Carpenter’s work, there’s the obvious nod to Tangerine Dream, and especially that band’s 80s film soundtracks and you’ll hear some Pink Floyd if you want to, and many other post-rock antecedents.

It’s such an easy sound to get behind, great grooves (Mangler), moody synth textures (Chant) and some epic monolithic rock (Turning Points).

Liquid Crystal is here for a good time, rather than a long time – and this 30-minute meal might be the best way to experience the band, perhaps for first-timers an hour-long set of instrumentals could be too much?

I’ve been loving Liquid Crystal’s simple, straight-ahead feels – 4/4, rock, mid-tempo, no words…a list of the most boring things that can happen in music. But only if the writing and playing is not inspired and dynamic. Zombi has proved itself, again and again, as a band that can take the simple elements and make them come to life. And this is the most recent example of that very magic.

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