Listening Post

Zero 7's Simple Things is one of my favorite albums of all time. Not only does its almost indescribably lovely chill seem to transport the listener to someplace very far away, it always transports me back to one very specific and brief era of my life: New York City, in the comedown after months of psychic tumult covering 9/11. This kind of listening-for-nostalgia generally violates a credo I have about music, but in this case I'll let it slide. Zero 7's stuff is sonically atmospheric, so it makes sense that it evokes such very clear imagery in my mind. It's almost sense memory.

While 2003's When It Falls came very close to matching Simple Things's wondrous soundscapes, nothing released since by the band has done that much for me. It's not bad -- it's just not, with the exception of one or two songs with José González on vocals, what I fell in love with.

After a long wait, Zero 7 now has a new single they've just released and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. It's a good song -- I mean that. I still wonder, though, whether it's a good Zero 7 song, at least when compared to their songs of ten years ago.

Here's Don't Call It Love.

Listening Post

Sorry for the absence yesterday. My weekend was spent doing something I honestly wasn't sure I'd do again, at least not in the near future.

Put it this way: As I'm typing these words, I'm sitting on my couch with the French doors that lead to my patio wide open, letting the crisp morning air fill the room. A couple of nights ago, my girlfriend and I cracked open a bottle of champagne, toasted, and I heard two wonderful words I haven't heard in years: "Welcome home."

Here's Zero 7's Home.

Listening Post: Bonus New Music Edition

This is one of those things I wanted to get out there as soon as I heard it was available.

From the upcoming Zero 7 album Yeah Ghost, it's Everything Up.

Listening Post

I actually posted this song once before -- as part of the Dead Star Twilight "soundtrack." But in my opinion, you can never have too much of it, as it's very close to my favorite song of all-time because it moves me in indescribable ways.

Here's Zero 7's Destiny.

Listening Post

Want to make yourself crazy? Try explaining to someone who's never heard Zero 7 just who and what they sound like. Not quite jazz, not quite neo-soul, not quite trip-hop -- they defy easy categorization. There's one description, though, that fits perfectly: the music they create is breathtakingly beautiful.

Here's Somersault.