The Phoenix Network:
 
 
About  |  Advertise
Adult  |  Moonsigns  |  Band Guide  |  Blogs  |  In Pictures
 
CD Reviews  |  Classical  |  Live Reviews  |  Music Features

Zach Hill

Astrological Straits | Ipecac
By MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY  |  August 12, 2008
3.5 3.5 Stars
0815_zachINZach Hill has built a reputation as a frenetic drummer, propelling his band Hella through tightly wound squalls of noise and jagged melodies with great force. On his first solo release, he indulges in an unrestrained torrent of challenging yet tuneful rock. With Hella moving toward more conventional songs on their most recent release, Astrological Straits is an outlet for Hill to blurt out all of his maddeningly abstract ideas and hammer them into shape. It isn’t an extended drum solo: Hill transforms his kit into a lead instrument and exercises virtuosic control. He drapes his concussive playing with shards of filthy, distorted guitars, infectiously sing-songy vocals, and guest appearances from luminaries like Primus’s Les Claypool and !!!’s Tyler Pope. “Keep Calm and Carry On” reels wildly, throwing sparks and spinning out of control like a malfunctioning carousel. Even on tracks where Hill does stand alone, like “Uhuru,” he sounds fresh, in command, and he avoids falling into the trap of repeating himself ad nauseam. Although some may find the noisy rambunctiousness and jarring bursts offputting, Hill imbues Straits with an irresistible playfulness, and his talents as a drummer (and a frontman) will leave listeners dumbstruck.
Related: 2008 Listravaganza!, It could be verse, Trans Am | What Day Is It Tonight? Trans Am Live, 1993 - 2008, More more >
  Topics: CD Reviews , Les Claypool, Zach Hill, Zach Hill
  • Share:
  • Share this entry with Facebook
  • Share this entry with Digg
  • Share this entry with Delicious
  • RSS feed
  • Email this article to a friend
  • Print this article
Comments

[ 11/28 ]   Seth Shomes Band  @ Wolf Den @ Mohegan Sun
[ 11/28 ]   Noche De Estrellas  @ Mohegan Sun Arena
[ 11/28 ]   Hot Tuna  @ Calvin Theatre
[ 11/28 ]   McAlister Drive + Whitetree + Cadrin  @ Center for Arts In Natick
[ 11/28 ]   Aventura  @ Agganis Arena
ARTICLES BY MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY
Share this entry with Delicious
  •   TRANS AM | WHAT DAY IS IT TONIGHT? TRANS AM LIVE, 1993 - 2008  |  November 24, 2009
    Trans Am are distillers of guilty pleasures, mixing fat AOR riffs with sleazy electronic accents and a propulsive attitude typically reserved for arcade soundtracks. What Day Is It Tonight? covers the DC-area band’s 20-year history with high-quality, high-energy live cuts taken from their many tours.
  •   THE BLACK HEART PROCESSION | SIX  |  October 06, 2009
    Formed in sunny San Diego, the Black Heart Procession write the kind of gloomy, downcast dirges you'd expect from less hospitable climates.
  •   FOOL'S GOLD | FOOL'S GOLD  |  September 22, 2009
    A big band with a big sound, Los Angeles-based Fool’s Gold come off as self-consciously cosmopolitan.  
  •   REVIEW: CASTANETS | TEXAS ROSE, THE THAW AND THE BEASTS  |  September 15, 2009
    Although based in a rustic, country-western sound, Ray Raposa's Castanets are irreverent, using familiar elements like pedal-steel guitars and gospel choruses in defiant ways.
  •   REVIEW: WILD BEASTS | TWO DANCERS  |  September 09, 2009
    It would be easy to overuse singer Hayden Thorpe's ebullient falsetto and dilute its campy majesty. Wild Beasts, a dreamy English quartet with a penchant for licentious lyrics and showy flourishes, know better.

 See all articles by: MICHAEL PATRICK BRADY

MOST POPULAR
RSS Feed of for the most popular articles
 Most Viewed   Most Emailed 



  |  Sign In  |  Register
 
thePhoenix.com:
Phoenix Media/Communications Group:
TODAY'S FEATURED ADVERTISERS
Copyright © 2009 The Phoenix Media/Communications Group