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| | Arts Calendar / September 5 / Concerts |
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 When Glass Animals frontman, singer and song-writer Dave Bayley says he's into cerebral music, he means it. Dave Bayley never had any intention whatsoever of forming a group, but around three years ago at medical school (the Oxford native has a degree in neuroscience from London's King's College), insomnia gave him some precious spare hours. And what better use of spare hours is there than listening to music and messing around with Garage Band on a half-dead relic of a laptop you were gifted by your Dad? But Bayley, who cites trip-hop acts like Flying Lotus and Madlib as influences, is no snob when it comes to crafting heady, intricate beats and smooth R&B grooves. Initially a bedroom project, Glass Animals grew into a quartet after Bayley brought three of his childhood friends onboard. Glass Animals' first songs took shape late at night - inspired by South London's bass music scene - recorded secretly and quietly in a small room near Elephant and Castle. Surprisingly for everyone, the result was a beautiful piece of ambient electronica called Golden Antlers, pitched somewhere between Anthony & the Johnsons and James Blake. The band's first EP, 2012's deliciously psychedelic Leaflings, sparked the attention of super-producer Paul Epworth (Adele, Bloc Party, Florence & the Machine), who signed the outfit to his new label, Wolf Tone. Since signing, the group has toured with St. Vincent and polished off its first full-length LP, ZABA, named after children's book The Zabajaba Jungle by William Steig. Zaba is a head-trip of a record. Packed with jazzy harmonies, hip-hop beats and a variety of hard-to-pinpoint sounds (Bayley has said some fuzzy interludes are his pets chewing on the microphone), it’s not afraid to get weird. Pop on a pair of headphones and a spine-tingling daze starts to set in. But after a few spins, the initial trance wears off and you find yourself peeling back the layers of each track. The entire record lends itself to this obsessive deconstructing. Connected by threads of deep electronics, varied percussion and smooth jazz, its songs are expertly woven together. They're distinctive once pulled apart, but can't resist melting back together into a single, mellow groove. It's hard to imagine Zaba as a work in progress. The 11-song collection feels complete, as if it was dreamed up and composed in one fell swoop. "Flip" starts things off with a slow, seductive build before erupting into a warm wash of electronics. Arguably the most bass-heavy of the bunch, the track’s beat is deep and sticky, pairing with percussion to form a sonic honeycomb. "Black Mambo" is also a steady build, leading with pizzicato strings that cascade via xylophone into rich, soulful harmonies. Later, "Gooey" delivers some of the album's trippiest lyrics. As Bayley croons about being "fresh out of an icky, gooey womb," the sleek vocals match the song's marmalade texture. "Toes" began as a small sketch of a song, a hip-hop groove that grew and grew, while Wyrd, which the band have been experimenting with live, has become the biggest, loudest heaviest beast on the whole album. "I used to be really into super-clean, no flaws production," says Dave, "but now I like the context and soul that mistakes, chopped samples, and swirly white amp-noises give you… We definitely were a bit self-conscious, we were once afraid to do something bold. Now when we're together in the studio we don’t worry about those things. In fact, we don't worry about anything at all…" Every song on Glass Animals' debut is a potential earworm. Zaba's songs are both atmospheric and totally danceable, ideal for lazy Sunday mornings and hazy Friday nights. Produced by Bayley under executive production of Epworth, the album is bizarre, gorgeous, playful and dark - and it's absolutely mesmerizing. In April 2015 Glass Animals began their tour in Canada and USA. In September this band with a very natural sense of mystery will perform in Moscow "Red" club. More info
RED Club  |
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The virtual community for English-speaking expats and Russians
