Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

__________. That’s the space everyone gets for telling me that the following album came out almost a year ago. Now that it’s out of your system, hear me out for a couple of paragraphs.

I’ve had a long time love affair with Zero 7. Aside from the intriguing hooks and genre-breaking endeavors, the wide array of guest singers that have appeared on their albums have been the most captivating of all. Yeah Ghost came out last October, and to mixed reviews. Lead instrumental track “Count Me Out” starts out inconspicuous (or is it mysterious) enough, giving way to the frantic “Mr McGee” that seems more suited for top 40 R&B treatment than an electronic downtempo album. “Swing” brings the listener back to a familiar place, with Binki Shapiro deftly adding her nonchalant vocals over steel drums and hand claps. The lead single “Everything Up (Zizou)”pays homage to famous French soccer star Zinedine Zidane (don’t worry, this song doesn’t headbutt you), and features Henry Binns (half of the Zero 7 duo) singing himself over soft ‘la-la’s” and a guitar that seems to run in place. Nevertheless, it’s Martha Tilston’s appearance on “Pop Art Blue” that highlights the album; the sultry, soft clarity of her voice is as warm as the bouncing bass and sprawling guitar.

The funky synths under the silky stylings of Eska Mtungwazi are only outdone by the comical choruses of ‘simply outrageous’, but the creepy-not-mysterious “Ghost Symbol” and the nonsensical “Sleeper” don’t do much to keep the album on track. Nevertheless, the short-lived and apt-named “Solastalgia” (for the reference, click here) is a 2 minutes of pure instrumental gold that will have you thinking Fleet Foxes was invited to play on the track. Rounding out the album is the oh-so-soulful Mtungwazi singing over the wondrously delicate keyboard on “The Road”.

Get a copy of Yeah Ghost.

Listen to “Pop Art Blue”

Listen to “The Road“