| Zookeeper |
| Pink Chalk |
Zookeeper — Pink Chalk
¶ Zookeeper nemusí prolomit veškeré hranice daného soundu, ale určitě se v jejich rámci umí obratně pohybovat.
¶ “I think it's just a totally different phase of life than when I put out anything else,” he said. “I'm older, I'm domestic and I'm having kids. Those are the sort of things I've been thinking about. That being said, they're not necessarily songs for kids. But just shorter, simpler songs that are really short and simple and really nice melodies. Working around that and maybe building things up a little less than we would for say a Mineral song. It's definitely a lot more subdued material.”
Location: Austin, Texas
Album release: October 14th, 2014
Record Label: Count Your Lucky Stars/Gloria Record
Duration: 34:22
Tracks:
01 Conclusions 3:18
02 Universe Song 2:15
03 Beam with Us 2:44
04 I Never Knew 2:41
05 Dark Road 3:38
06 Ain't Playing 2:29
07 When I Had My Legs 2:48
08 Bloodhounds 3:20
09 Pink Chalk 5:08
10 Two–Part Invention 6:01
Description:
¶ Count Your Lucky Stars release the long–awaited new LP from Zookeeper, which is the solo project of Chris Simpson, best known for his work fronting Mineral and The Gloria Record. Pink Chalk is a sophomore album three years in the making, but it sounds like it was slapped together over a particularly long weekend, with slightly out of tune piano plunks, loosely strummed acoustic guitar and basic drumming backing Simpson’s soulful crowing.
¶ Zookeeper’s triumphant return shouldn’t be overshadowed by the reunion of ringleader/ frontman Simpson’s legendary project Mineral — a band who played a pivotal role in bringing emo into the mainstream in the mid to late ’90s. Indeed, the two are very different animals, and while Mineral may bask in the warm wave of nostalgia, Zookeeper is still Simpson’s most evocative and mature outlet. So, don’t go looking for any rehashing here, Zookeeper is not Mineral or The Gloria Record. Instead, Zookeeper is Simpson’s most ambitious vehicle yet– full of space, patience, maturity and painted by piano, guitar, lap steel, horns, and mournful, delicate vocals that will likely garner comparisons to Neutral Milk Hotel, Belle and Sebastian, and Wilco than any mid–nineties emo band. Zookeeper is strong enough to be the new staple in your record collection.
Fortaken: http://newnoisemagazine.com/zookeeper-streams-album-pink-chalk/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zookeepersworld
Agent:
Brooklyn Vegan: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/10/stream_mineral.html
Also:
Lukec, Rating: 67/100
:: http://killyourstereo.com/reviews/1036901/zookeeper-pink-chalk
By Cole Faulkner; Score: ***½
:: http://thepunksite.com/reviews/zookeeper-pink-chalk-2/
Review
By Scott Heisel, October 16, 2014; Score: ****
¶ Chris Simpson has been pulled back into the spotlight thanks to the ongoing emo revival — his old band, Mineral, are currently on an extensive reunion tour. But Simpson has long since moved on musically, playing fragile, Neutral Milk Hotel–esque folk under the name Zookeeper since 2006. Pink Chalk is a sophomore album three years in the making, but it sounds like it was slapped together over a particularly long weekend, with slightly out of tune piano plunks, loosely strummed acoustic guitar and basic drumming backing Simpson’s soulful crowing. It’s a perfect Sunday morning record, the kind of music that makes your spirit warm (“Universe Song”) and your eyes water just a little bit (“Two Part Invention”). Bonus points awarded for incorporating breathing as a rhythmic pattern in the title track. :: http://www.altpress.com/
INTERVIEW
By Zack Baker, intro by Andrew Sacher, September 8, 2014
:: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/09/an_interview_w_76.html
Artist Biography by Kenyon Hopkin
¶ Zookeeper is primarily the indie pop vehicle of Chris Simpson, ex–frontman for the influential, short–lived 1990s emo band Mineral as well as shoegazers the Gloria Record. Other contributors to Zookeeper's expansive sound (replete with horns, tambourines, and honky tonk piano) include an assortment of musicians ranging from his previous bandmates to members of labelmates Sad Accordions. After packing the lineup into an Austin studio to record a set of loose, exuberant songs, Simpson emerged with Zookeeper's debut material — a self–titled EP, released in November 2006 on Belle City Pop! (operated by Gloria Record drummer Brian Malone), and the full–length Becoming All Things, released one year later.
© Bowery Ballroom, by Mimi Hong
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| Zookeeper |
| Pink Chalk |