New release by Zoo Berries - EP1 (released on Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit Records)
The five tracks on Zoo Berries’ EP1 make a concise and strong statement starting with Hip Hop beats, going into heartfelt blues and meditative mindsets, and concluding with an existential spoken word exploration.
The opener Back in Time starts with a cheerful funky bass groove that seamlessly evolves into a full-on piano-saxophone conversation. Next is the bluesy slow simmering track Brother, building anticipation that pays off in the form of two simultaneous explosive saxophone solos entangled within each other (featuring Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit Records label mate Arnan Raz on tenor saxophone). Final Decision draws inspiration from an earlier release of by Ayal Tsubery (Decisions, 2014) and serves a smooth hip hop landscape that quickly turns into a grinding hard hitting rock anthem with a dark chant-like screaming saxophone solo.
From those turbulent moments, Zoo Berries takes us into the serene introspective Shir le Shabbat (from Hebrew: a song for sabbath) bringing the bass to the front with a solo that oozes expression and reveals an intimate connection to eastern musical traditions. For the final track, Acceptance, singer/songwriter Keren Or Tayar
steps in to deliver a thought provoking spoken word part, which the band enwraps in a meditative wondrous mood that lingers well after the last note decays.
In a typical straightforward manner, Zoo Berries’ bandleader Ayal Tsubery describes his experience making EP1: “Making a record that exudes raw live energy was my goal, and that meant we were all gonna play in the same room, no separations, no headphones, no editing. We came into the studio, tuned up, and started cutting takes. Six hours later we had an EP”
1. Back In Time
2. Brother
3. Final Decision
4. Shir LeShabbat
5. Acceptance
Recorded by Dan Shatzki at Vibromonk Studios Brooklyn NYC.
Mixed and mastered By Alessio Romano
