FEED OUR HEADS

Eclectic ? Oh yeah......

This is the third and the most recent album by a band which surely is now among the better US eclectic prog bands.

The album starts innocently enough with the jazz, saxophone and Frank Zappa influenced pastisj I'm On My Own. A really great song. From there and out, the album branches out in all direction. None of them light hearted and easy accessible. This is by no means an easy listening album. This album touches base with a lot of genres. From avant-garde via eclectic prog to jazz and pop/rock. Along the way, Zip Tang says hello to The Beatles, Beach Boys, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Frank Zappa, Soft Machine (first album), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gentle Giant, Pink Floyd and the post rock scene. I am sure I have missed out on a lot of bus stops along the way. But although very varied, the music is never disjointed. There is a clear and defined idea running through the whole album.

The instrumentation is both the usual tangents, guitars, bass, vocals and drums. But they have also added some woodwinds to the sound. The sound changes between electric and half-acoustic. The instruments are clearly spaced out and not the victim of a wall of sound. Thankfully, the sound quality is superbly crystal clear and contemporary.

I stated the first song was an uplifting song. The mood changes though halfway the album and the mood becomes darker at the final two Pink Floyd like songs. Which means neither the first song or the final two songs should determine if you want to part with your money on this album.

A purchase or not also depends on the quality of the product. It is my opinion after sweating blood during ten listening sessions, and wishing that I could spend even more time on this album before reviewing it, that this is a true great album. There is no real killer tracks here. Neither is there any really uninteresting parts here either. This album has so many twists and turns that it drags the listener in and really keeps him/her until the final tone. This is truly a progressive rock album. That is in my view a good enough reason to give it four stars...... although not a strong four stars, but still four stars.

4 stars

Some ten years ago I was lucky enough to be sent the first two albums by Zip Tang, 'Luminiferous Ether' and 'Pank', and I was incredibly impressed not only by the gorgeous digipaks from an independent band, but the quality of the music which was quite unlike anything else coming out of the scene at that time. I was told that they were recording a third album, and that I would be sent it to review, but then heard nothing and attempts to contact the band went nowhere. Fast forward to 2018, and one day I received an email from guitarist/singer Perry Merritt. It transpired that the person who used to undertake their publicity had long parted from the band, and they were trying to get back in touch with those who had been involved previously, and would I be interested in hearing their last three releases? Would I?

'Feed Our Heads' was released in 2010, with the same line-up from the previous albums, namely Perry, Fred Falller (drums), Marcus Padgett (keyboards, woodwind and vocals) and Rick Wolfe (bass, mandolin and vocals). The band move between multiple styles, so one is never sure what is going to come next. Their jagged attack is reminiscent of early Mr So & So combined with Poisoned Electrick Head, while there is also plenty of Zappa, Soft Machine, Gentle Giant and kitchen sink. Yes, definitely lots of kitchen sink. One minute they can be frenetic with music so sharp that they are all at risk at cutting themselves on the notes, and then they move into a mandolin folky number with flute and acoustic guitar, and drums that have a major impact by not being involved at all! I really enjoyed their first two albums, and this continues in the same vein, showing that here is a band that is truly progressing through the music by refusing to sit in any particular area for too long, and within individual numbers there is so much going on that the only way to enjoy it is by paying close attention.

But, for all the cleverness and intricacy, this is still an incredibly enjoyable and accessible album which is a delight from start to end.