The instrumental quartet Zombie Picnic has its roots in Limerick, Ireland and plays an interesting blend of modern melodic post rock, heavily drenched in a seventies sauce. Therefore the music will, at times remind you of the likes of Pink Floyd and Rush, three eras ago, but on the other hand a melodic Mogwai also has left their influences. Both guitar players Jim Griffin and Dave Tobin comprise an informal jam band style of playing, which make every song an pleasure to listen to. This unforced playing really enhances the entertainment value of Zombie Picnic's music. Both guitarists are backed up by bass player Brian Fitzgerald and drummer Brendan Miller, two musicians who combine a steady beat with playful passages. Musically I do appreciate these four compositions, that can be categorised as fairly long songs. A minor detail, when you are an instrumental post rock oriented band, is that a listener like myself tends to wander off during these stretched compositions. Although the guys are technically very able to compose interesting music; the Pink Floyd and sometimes Wishbone Ash like passages are cool, especially when spoken movie fragments are played over the melody, but all in all the music doesn't make you sit down and carefully listen to what's going on, on the album. For me A Suburb Of Earth is THE perfect music to do other things to, just being friendly background music. Don't get me wrong, I do like the band but I will not be the concentrated listener, who focusses on every note through the thirty eight minutes, that the album lasts. Perfect music to play when you have visitors, or doing the laundry. *** Pedro Bekkers (edited by Tracy van Os van den Abeelen) Where to buy? |
