Album Club: 11.10.2011: Zero 7 - Simple Things (2001)

[Thing Fish]

Although I hadn't heard this album it's the sort of album I used to listen to when I made websites back in the day.

I would spend hours sitting in front of my Mac listening to the likes of Air and Lemon Jelly. This album really took me back to those happy days.

Although I wouldn't buy it on vinyl I would quite happily listen to it on my computer.

3 well deserved stars ***

[WAD62]

This Hi-Fi OCD is a terrible thing...

I was happily listening away to the FLAC album on my PC studio setup at quite a low volume, when I noticed a sort of intermittent click/scratchy noise coming from my right speaker...Track 4 'Give it Away' from about 3:00 to 4:30 mins into the track.

I immediately assumed it to be some computer interference, so I listened to it on my proper rig downstairs, same thing. I then re-ripped the album to FLAC via dBpoweramp, all tracks ripped with a perfect accurip confidence of 25, and overlayed the existing tracks on my server.

Still there...after playing it a few times it sounds like someone had a loose pickup or jack lead or somesuch at the recording...or I'm going mad

[keiths]

Never heard this - in fact, Zero 7 seem to have passed my by completely. CD on its way from eBay, so I'll comment once it arrives.

[griffo104]

I going to enjoy this.

I HATE this sort of music.

But Zero 7 are the exception, I love their 2nd album and it gets played on a regular basis, it's chilled out but rhythmically superb and the singing, from the male and female, is excellent, notice the girly gets a lot of comments but the bloke's decent, so much that I bought his solo album which I've not quite been able to get in to.

I look forward to chilling with this tonight.

[Welder]

Zzzzzzzzz, Oh yes, Zero 7. I’m awfully tempted to make a crack about adding another zero and giving them a license to thrill. Trouble is they don’t; thrill that is.
Middle of the road coffee table tunes for people who prolly think it sounds wonderful on their stereo. Trouble is, it doesn’t challenge a decent stereo either.
Come on, they don’t have the inventiveness of say the French lot Air. That female singer needs her adenoids sorting and someone needs to point out that their lyrics suck something terrible

However, I’ve got a coffee table (well tea trolly if we’re going to get pedantic) and I’ve also got this CD and a couple of their others.. Pleasant enough bit of chill for those days when you’re feeling uninspired and don’t want to start a revolution. I don’t have many days like that though
I can see a few of the usual suspects here absolutely loving it though.

[WAD62]

Zzzzzzzzz, Oh yes, Zero 7. I’m awfully tempted to make a crack about adding another zero and giving them a license to thrill. Trouble is they don’t; thrill that is.
Middle of the road coffee table tunes for people who prolly think it sounds wonderful on their stereo. Trouble is, it doesn’t challenge a decent stereo either.
Come on, they don’t have the inventiveness of say the French lot Air. That female singer needs her adenoids sorting and someone needs to point out that their lyrics suck something terrible

However, I’ve got a coffee table (well tea trolly if we’re going to get pedantic) and I’ve also got this CD and a couple of their others.. Pleasant enough bit of chill for those days when you’re feeling uninspired and don’t want to start a revolution. I don’t have many days like that though
I can see a few of the usual suspects here absolutely loving it though.

...what prompted you to get the second and third albums John? Some form of aural masochism...

[Welder]

Was I that scathing?
I gave it 3 out of 5 ffs!
I bought a job lot of CD’s mate and the other two Zero 7 albums were in the lot.
I’ll get around to giving them another listen one day when I’m feeling really really mellow and cuddly; could be a while though.
They aren’t as inventive and melodic as Air for example and don’t have the lyrical skills, or dare I say, vocal skills of Morcheba. Imo they’re average and that’s what I’ve marked them as. Perhaps we need more scope in the marking range 1 to 10 say in half unit increments.

The lyrics really put me off, but I find that with a lot of music these days. I tend to listen to instrumental stuff a lot more or outright pop. The stuff that tries to straddle the line between pop and something meaningful just irritates me unless its done really well; Kevin Ayres, Stranger In Blue Suede shoes being an example of a well crafted song with a fairly lighthearted social comment.

[WAD62]

Was I that scathing?
I gave it 3 out of 5 ffs!
I bought a job lot of CD’s mate and the other two Zero 7 albums were in the lot.
I’ll get around to giving them another listen one day when I’m feeling really really mellow and cuddly; could be a while though.
They aren’t as inventive and melodic as Air for example and don’t have the lyrical skills, or dare I say, vocal skills of Morcheba. Imo they’re average and that’s what I’ve marked them as. Perhaps we need more scope in the marking range 1 to 10 say in half unit increments.

The lyrics really put me off, but I find that with a lot of music these days. I tend to listen to instrumental stuff a lot more or outright pop. The stuff that tries to straddle the line between pop and something meaningful just irritates me unless its done really well; Kevin Ayres, Stranger In Blue Suede shoes being an example of a well crafted song with a fairly lighthearted social comment.

I was only joking mate, there are many more bands of that era I prefer too, I could only take the first album myself, it's a bit like a big bowl of angel delight...too much and you feel sick

I suppose seeing them play it live helped...and so did the recreationals

[Vinyleyes]

This should be interesting ,... Chill music ( and everything else in the techno world) was allowed to completely and utterly pass me by ... is it made with computers ... or do people actually play instruments.

However I will try to give it a listen looking for any plus points .. .. Now I am in a remote place and I cannot get Spotify .. any ideas anyone ..

[WAD62]

This should be interesting ,... Chill music ( and everything else in the techno world) was allowed to completely and utterly pass me by ... is it made with computers ... or do people actually play instruments.

However I will try to give it a listen looking for any plus points .. .. Now I am in a remote place and I cannot get Spotify .. any ideas anyone ..

Not techno or electronic at all really Brian, it's more easy listening with a bit of a groove underneath, all real musicians and instruments, with some keyboards and effects...the Aphex twin it is not!!!