| Glass Animals |
| Zaba (Deluxe, June 6th, 2015) |
Glass Animals — Zaba (Deluxe, June 6th, 2015) 
• Album je bizarní, nádherné, hravé, dark a je naprosto fascinující, když vezmeme do úvahy, že vzniklo podle dětské knihy “The Zabajaba Jungle” (William Steig). Napětí je v něm dobře vybudováno a mé doporučení je zajít na The Quietus, kde píseň po písni komentuje sama kapela.
Formed: 2012 in Oxfordshire, England
Location: Oxford, England
Album release: June 6th, 2015
Record Label: Wolf Tone Limited / Harvest
Duration: 60:23
Tracks:
01. Flip 3:43
02. Black Mambo 4:09
03. Pools 4:49
04. Gooey 4:49
05. Walla Walla 3:37
06. Intruxx 2:49
07. Hazey 4:26
08. Toes 4:15
09. Wyrd 4:06
10. Cocoa Hooves 4:32
11. JDNT 4:24
12. Black Mambo (Stripped) 3:51
13. Gooey (Stripped) 4:08
14. Hazey (Stripped) 3:49
15. Cocoa Hooves (Stripped) 3:36
℗ 2015 Wolf Tone Limited
Producer: Dave Bayley, Paul Epworth (exec.)
• All songs written, composed, and produced by Dave Bayley.
Credits and personnel:
• David Bayley — composer, producer
• David Wrench — mixing
• Glass Animals — primary artist, engineer
• Joseph Hartwell Jones — engineer
• Mandy Parnell — mastering
• Matt Wiggins — engineer
• Micah Lidberg — artwork, illustrations
• Paul Epworth — executive producer
Charts:
• Australian Albums (ARIA) #12
• Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) #162
• US Billboard 200 #177
• 2015 Zaba Top Heatseekers #1
• 2015 Zaba Top Independent Albums #16
• 2015 Zaba Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums #21
• 2015 Zaba Top Rock Albums #27
• 2014 Zaba Top Heatseekers #9
Editorial Reviews
• Glass Animals vocalist and songwriter David Bayley draws influence for both music and artwork from his involvement in the world of medicine and neuroscience (at just 23 yrs old, he has studied both) creating a sound with its roots spread between the electronic and live instrumentation.
• Having previously recorded all their music in an isolated, home–built studio ('The Shed'), deep in the forests of Oxfordshire, Glass Animals vocalist and production dynamo Dave Bayley moved with the band to the more urban surroundings of Paul Epworth's London studio to start work on their debut album Zaba.
• Inspired by Kanye West and Charles Darwin, Nina Simone and the Velvet Underground, ZABA is a rich and textured work, a very special record indeed. With Dave producing and Epworth as A&R and mentor, the studio became their home and the band were free to record, improvise and write at their own speed, making their sound a bigger, brighter, heavier and more intense experience than ever before.
• Glass Animals are an Oxford–based band consisting of members Dave Bayley, Drew Macfarlane, Edmund Irwin–Singer, and Joe Seaward. Childhood friends from the age of 14, they formed the group once they finished school. While they were still at university they released their debut EP, Leaflings, in 2012. They captured the attention of acclaimed producer Paul Epworth, who signed them to his label Wolf Tone in 2013 and released the Glass Animals EP, which included the single "Black Mambo". In 2014, the band released their debut album Zaba, which blended electronics with indie guitar music and was produced by both frontman Bayley and Epworth.
AllMusic Review by Heather Phares; Score: ***½
• On their full–length debut, Glass Animals recall more than a few of their contemporaries: Foals, Alt–J, and especially Wild Beasts spring to mind as touchstones for the band's lush yet challenging mix of indie and electronic sounds ("Hazey," meanwhile, suggests a collaboration between Massive Attack and Antony Hegarty). However, Zaba also shows what David Bayley and company bring to this style. Bayley, who produced the album, lavishes these songs with sonic details that are almost hallucinatory: the echoes that grace opening track "Flip" suggest a slow–motion reverie before the song locks into a louder, and arguably more predictable, rock groove, while "Pools" lives up to its name with its aquatic sound. All of Zaba is coated in dripping reverb that gives it a slippery feel that matches the effortless way Glass Animals slide between electric and electronic instrumentation. "Intruxx"'s looping beat sounds like a trip–hop rhythm translated into live percussion that sounds right at home next to "Wyrd"'s bubbly electronics. The band is often at its most fascinating when it conveys the chilled–out sophistication of dance music via rock, as on the low–slung groove of "Toes" or the rippling former single "Black Mambo," which makes the most of the jazzy androgyny of Bayley's vocals. An equally strange and sexy debut, Zaba's most audacious moments suggest Glass Animals will be an even more compelling act next time around. • http://www.allmusic.com/
Also:
Andy Welch | 9TH JUNE 2014 | Score: 8/10
• http://www.nme.com/reviews/various-artists/15370
By Carey Hodges | June 11, 2014 | 3:40pm | Score: 9.0
• http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/06/glass-animals-zaba-review.html
The Quietus:
• http://thequietus.com/articles/15415-glass-animals-stream-album-zaba-track-by-track
Composition:
• Zaba is primarily a psychedelic indie pop record. The album's sound is characterized by obscure tropical percussion and jungle timbres. This musical motif reflects lead singer David Bayley's exotic subject matter, which was inspired by the William Steig children's book The Zabajaba Jungle. To achieve this sound, Bayley would record ambient sounds of a field near his house or the chewing of rabbits and other animals, and percussive sounds of cooking utensils and children's toys. Some of the songs were based specifically on certain adventure novels: "Toes," for example, intends to recreate the atmosphere of The Island of Doctor Moreau and Heart of Darkness.
• Various music critics have indicated that Zaba holds strong R&B influences, particularly in its use of "hard–hitting" hip hop basslines, pop–influenced melodies, and husky vocals with a lyrical focus on sensuality. Additionally, Zaba is regularly noted for its subtle electronica influences and use of synthesizers. This is evident on the first track of the album, "Flip", which begins as a slow, seductive build of understated electronica and dream pop evocative of Jamie xx and Flying Lotus. The song then "erupting" into a "warm" wash of electronics and bass sounds; its deep, "sticky" beat is paired with percussion to form a "sonic honeycomb". "Black Mambo" opens with a similar steady build, and leads with pizzicato strings which "cascade" over xylophones into rich, soulful vocal harmonies.
• Throughout its composition, Zaba explores the concept of minimalism, allowing the beats, melodies, and lyrics to "speak for themselves". The songs feature sparse, uncluttered, groove–driven electronic structures and mix soulful vocals, R&B beats, and gentle percussion with unobtrusive synths and light, glitchy electronica. Zaba's songs are connected by self–described "interludes" of echoed electronics, varied percussion, and smooth jazz, weaving them together so that while each individual track is distinctive, the album "melts" into a single, mellow groove. Carey Hodges of Paste noted that the "danceable" music on Zaba contains “bizarre, gorgeous, playful" dark atmospheres, saying it's "ideal for lazy Sunday mornings and hazy Friday nights”.
• The band were regularly placed out of their comfort zone while recording Zaba. Speaking on the recording of the album, Bayley said: “We were really worried about what our friends and family would think, basically. We kept everything quite toned down, and then we spent six or seven months experimenting, trying to find out what to do on the record, and after we finished those tracks, we had a much better idea of what we needed to do and how we wanted to sound.” Executive producer Paul Epworth was the source of more unorthodox recording methods in the studio, particularly in the vocal take of "Gooey," during which Bayley laid down his vocals holding a pineapple, and recorded the final chorus in eight different impressions to replicate the sound of a choir. Nevertheless, Bayley assures that Epworth was a positive influence on the band: “He’s a really great producer, he knows how to make everyone feel really relaxed and push you out of your comfort zone so you’re not just regurgitating ideas but coming up with new ones and trying things out — even if they don’t work.”
Website: http://glassanimals.eu/
Tumblr: http://glassanimalsband.tumblr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/glassanimals
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glassanimals
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/glassanimals
_____________________________________________________________
| Glass Animals |
| Zaba (Deluxe, June 6th, 2015) |
Location: Oxford, England
Album release: June 6th, 2015
Record Label: Wolf Tone Limited / Harvest
Duration: 60:23
Tracks:
01. Flip 3:43
02. Black Mambo 4:09
03. Pools 4:49
04. Gooey 4:49
05. Walla Walla 3:37
06. Intruxx 2:49
07. Hazey 4:26
08. Toes 4:15
09. Wyrd 4:06
10. Cocoa Hooves 4:32
11. JDNT 4:24
12. Black Mambo (Stripped) 3:51
13. Gooey (Stripped) 4:08
14. Hazey (Stripped) 3:49
15. Cocoa Hooves (Stripped) 3:36
℗ 2015 Wolf Tone Limited
Producer: Dave Bayley, Paul Epworth (exec.)
• All songs written, composed, and produced by Dave Bayley.
Credits and personnel:
• David Bayley — composer, producer
• David Wrench — mixing
• Glass Animals — primary artist, engineer
• Joseph Hartwell Jones — engineer
• Mandy Parnell — mastering
• Matt Wiggins — engineer
• Micah Lidberg — artwork, illustrations
• Paul Epworth — executive producer
Charts:
• Australian Albums (ARIA) #12
• Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) #162
• US Billboard 200 #177
• 2015 Zaba Top Heatseekers #1
• 2015 Zaba Top Independent Albums #16
• 2015 Zaba Top Modern Rock/Alternative Albums #21
• 2015 Zaba Top Rock Albums #27
• 2014 Zaba Top Heatseekers #9
• Glass Animals vocalist and songwriter David Bayley draws influence for both music and artwork from his involvement in the world of medicine and neuroscience (at just 23 yrs old, he has studied both) creating a sound with its roots spread between the electronic and live instrumentation.
• Having previously recorded all their music in an isolated, home–built studio ('The Shed'), deep in the forests of Oxfordshire, Glass Animals vocalist and production dynamo Dave Bayley moved with the band to the more urban surroundings of Paul Epworth's London studio to start work on their debut album Zaba.
• Inspired by Kanye West and Charles Darwin, Nina Simone and the Velvet Underground, ZABA is a rich and textured work, a very special record indeed. With Dave producing and Epworth as A&R and mentor, the studio became their home and the band were free to record, improvise and write at their own speed, making their sound a bigger, brighter, heavier and more intense experience than ever before.
• Glass Animals are an Oxford–based band consisting of members Dave Bayley, Drew Macfarlane, Edmund Irwin–Singer, and Joe Seaward. Childhood friends from the age of 14, they formed the group once they finished school. While they were still at university they released their debut EP, Leaflings, in 2012. They captured the attention of acclaimed producer Paul Epworth, who signed them to his label Wolf Tone in 2013 and released the Glass Animals EP, which included the single "Black Mambo". In 2014, the band released their debut album Zaba, which blended electronics with indie guitar music and was produced by both frontman Bayley and Epworth.
AllMusic Review by Heather Phares; Score: ***½
• On their full–length debut, Glass Animals recall more than a few of their contemporaries: Foals, Alt–J, and especially Wild Beasts spring to mind as touchstones for the band's lush yet challenging mix of indie and electronic sounds ("Hazey," meanwhile, suggests a collaboration between Massive Attack and Antony Hegarty). However, Zaba also shows what David Bayley and company bring to this style. Bayley, who produced the album, lavishes these songs with sonic details that are almost hallucinatory: the echoes that grace opening track "Flip" suggest a slow–motion reverie before the song locks into a louder, and arguably more predictable, rock groove, while "Pools" lives up to its name with its aquatic sound. All of Zaba is coated in dripping reverb that gives it a slippery feel that matches the effortless way Glass Animals slide between electric and electronic instrumentation. "Intruxx"'s looping beat sounds like a trip–hop rhythm translated into live percussion that sounds right at home next to "Wyrd"'s bubbly electronics. The band is often at its most fascinating when it conveys the chilled–out sophistication of dance music via rock, as on the low–slung groove of "Toes" or the rippling former single "Black Mambo," which makes the most of the jazzy androgyny of Bayley's vocals. An equally strange and sexy debut, Zaba's most audacious moments suggest Glass Animals will be an even more compelling act next time around. • http://www.allmusic.com/
Also:
Andy Welch | 9TH JUNE 2014 | Score: 8/10
• http://www.nme.com/reviews/various-artists/15370
By Carey Hodges | June 11, 2014 | 3:40pm | Score: 9.0
• http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2014/06/glass-animals-zaba-review.html
The Quietus:
• http://thequietus.com/articles/15415-glass-animals-stream-album-zaba-track-by-track
Composition:
• Zaba is primarily a psychedelic indie pop record. The album's sound is characterized by obscure tropical percussion and jungle timbres. This musical motif reflects lead singer David Bayley's exotic subject matter, which was inspired by the William Steig children's book The Zabajaba Jungle. To achieve this sound, Bayley would record ambient sounds of a field near his house or the chewing of rabbits and other animals, and percussive sounds of cooking utensils and children's toys. Some of the songs were based specifically on certain adventure novels: "Toes," for example, intends to recreate the atmosphere of The Island of Doctor Moreau and Heart of Darkness.
• Various music critics have indicated that Zaba holds strong R&B influences, particularly in its use of "hard–hitting" hip hop basslines, pop–influenced melodies, and husky vocals with a lyrical focus on sensuality. Additionally, Zaba is regularly noted for its subtle electronica influences and use of synthesizers. This is evident on the first track of the album, "Flip", which begins as a slow, seductive build of understated electronica and dream pop evocative of Jamie xx and Flying Lotus. The song then "erupting" into a "warm" wash of electronics and bass sounds; its deep, "sticky" beat is paired with percussion to form a "sonic honeycomb". "Black Mambo" opens with a similar steady build, and leads with pizzicato strings which "cascade" over xylophones into rich, soulful vocal harmonies.
• Throughout its composition, Zaba explores the concept of minimalism, allowing the beats, melodies, and lyrics to "speak for themselves". The songs feature sparse, uncluttered, groove–driven electronic structures and mix soulful vocals, R&B beats, and gentle percussion with unobtrusive synths and light, glitchy electronica. Zaba's songs are connected by self–described "interludes" of echoed electronics, varied percussion, and smooth jazz, weaving them together so that while each individual track is distinctive, the album "melts" into a single, mellow groove. Carey Hodges of Paste noted that the "danceable" music on Zaba contains “bizarre, gorgeous, playful" dark atmospheres, saying it's "ideal for lazy Sunday mornings and hazy Friday nights”.
• The band were regularly placed out of their comfort zone while recording Zaba. Speaking on the recording of the album, Bayley said: “We were really worried about what our friends and family would think, basically. We kept everything quite toned down, and then we spent six or seven months experimenting, trying to find out what to do on the record, and after we finished those tracks, we had a much better idea of what we needed to do and how we wanted to sound.” Executive producer Paul Epworth was the source of more unorthodox recording methods in the studio, particularly in the vocal take of "Gooey," during which Bayley laid down his vocals holding a pineapple, and recorded the final chorus in eight different impressions to replicate the sound of a choir. Nevertheless, Bayley assures that Epworth was a positive influence on the band: “He’s a really great producer, he knows how to make everyone feel really relaxed and push you out of your comfort zone so you’re not just regurgitating ideas but coming up with new ones and trying things out — even if they don’t work.”
Website: http://glassanimals.eu/
Tumblr: http://glassanimalsband.tumblr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/glassanimals
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/glassanimals
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/glassanimals