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Zero 7: Simple Things

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Palm Records
Released: 2001.06.12
Time:
 61:11
Category: Electric Jazz
Producer(s): See Artists ...
Rating: *******... (7/10)
Media type: CD
Web address: www.zero7.co.uk
Appears with:
Purchase date: 2009.10.17
Price in €: 3,00





 S o n g s ,   T r a c k s


[1] I Have Seen (Binns/Hardaker/Philips/Phillips) - 5:07
[2] Polaris (Binns/Hardaker) - 4:48
[3] Destiny) - Barker/Binns/Furler/Hardaker) - 5:37
[4] Give It Away (Binns/Hardaker) - 5:17
[5] Simple Things (Binns/Hardaker/Wright) - 4:24
[6] Red Dust (Binns/Hardaker) - 5:40
[7] Distractions (Binns/Furler/Hardaker) - 5:16
[8] In the Waiting Line (Barker/Binns/Hardaker) - 4:32
[9] Out of Town (Binns/Hardaker/Wright) - 4:47
[10] This World (Binns/Hardaker/Wright) - 5:35
[11] Likufanele (Binns/Hardaker/Martin/Mayckiso/Mothers/Nyoka) - 6:11
[12] End Theme (Binns/Hardaker/Runswick) - 3:39

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Henry Binns -  Producer, Remixing, Performer
Sam Hardaker - Producer, Remixing, Performer

Jenny Arrel - Percussion
Sophie Barker - Vocals
Miggy Barradas - Drums
Maxton G. Beesley, Jr. - Fender Rhodes
Brilliant Strings - Strings
Simon Elms - Trumpet
Sally Herbert - Violin
David Litman - Flute
Oli Savill - Percussion
Alan Simpson - Guitar
Jeremy Stacey - Violin, Drums
Graeme Stewart - Trumpet
Phil Thornalley - Bass, Guitar
Peter Trotman - Bass

Demus - Mixing

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2001 CD Palm 5007
2001 CD Ultimate Dilemma 5046689012

After a number of singles and EPs, British electronica duo Zero 7 made their full-length debut with 2001's SIMPLE THINGS, an inspired fusion of loungey electronica a la the French duo Air and the more assertive trip-hop of Massive Attack and Tricky. At its heart, SIMPLE THINGS has all the same elements that many similar records have had ever since the early days of Soul II Soul: subtle and inventive sampling, R&B diva vocals, Kraftwerk-like synthesizer chills, and tasteful beats and bass lines to tie the whole thing together. The difference is that Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, the core of Zero 7, keep those ingredients in precisely the correct proportions.



Forget the rampant labeling of Zero 7 as the "British Air," because Simple Things is a debut album that stands on its own as a chilled, subtle collection of organic songs. There are hints of Air, but there are equally relevant comparisons that might be made with Morcheeba, Rae & Christian, Nightmares on Wax, and early Massive Attack. Indeed, after Morcheeba's overproduced Fragments of Freedom and Rae & Christian's sloppy Sleepwalking, Simple Things picks up the slack in a rewarding manner. Simple Things might just be a gentle Cinderella, a kind stepsister to Massive Attack's dark masterpiece, Mezzanine. It's rare that a post-trip-hop album is so interesting and engrossing, but the duo of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker mix a number of musical elements, such as soul-influenced diva vocals, gurgling and ringing keyboards, and classical string arrangements, into a relaxing, potent wave of sounds. Though the album starts to meander in its closing tracks, the first 50 minutes are cohesive, vibrant, and calming. Highlights are too numerous to call out, as the duo switches from instrumentals to songs featuring passionate, energized vocals from Mozez, Sia Furler, and Sophie Barker. All three vocalists mingle as perfect matches to the smart arrangements. Twinkling keyboards, barely-there basslines, and acoustic guitars create rolling melodies that never interfere with the task at hand, that of chiseling textured aural atmospheres. Simple Things is an accomplished slice of soulful genius that rewards frequent spins.

Tim DiGravina - All Music Guide



Zero 7's ability to conjure beautiful lullabies with all the romance of 1960s French pop (as found on their debut LP, Simple Things) would have made them the toast of soundtrack composers and chill-out connoisseurs the world over. Unfortunately, two Frenchmen beat Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker to the title of "masters of comedown cool," leaving the London duo to be forever called "the British Air." And this is fair; the similarities between Zero 7's lush cinematic soundscapes and those of Air's Moon Safari and the Virgin Suicides score are so strong as to sound almost intentional. Nonetheless, their debut is a truly gorgeous album. It has all the tried and tested atmospheric tricks--bleeps and whooshes layered over plodding Fender Rhodes chords, swathes of strings and tender trumpet parps--but it's Binns and Hardaker's languid grooves and the soft melancholy of their melodies that make dream-state instrumentals "Give It Away" and "Polaris" utterly enchanting. The real power of Simple Things, however, is in its songs. As beautiful as the ambient strains are, when laid beneath the seductive vocals of Australian diva Sia on the ethereal "Destiny" or the heart-breaking "Distractions," their potency becomes apparent.

Dan Gennoe - Amazon.com



They've been dubbed the British Air, in allusion to the French band that made it as hip to like prog-rock as it is to like Beck. And you'll hear why straightaway on Simple Things, the retro-soul- and beats-filled debut from London duo Zero 7. The opening track, "I Have Seen," is suffused with lush strings, which hang like a fog over a pulsing bass line and folksy-sounding acoustic guitar. But whereas the French duo dredge up the arrangements of '70s album rock, the guys in Zero 7 take their cues from the production and arrangement style of soulman Quincy Jones, the legendary George Martin, or even underground legend David Axelrod, as they pad their down-tempo beats with strings, keys, and rich, soulful vocals from a handful of guest singers. The results are so artfully layered and so easy on the ears that it's no surprise to learn that Zero 7's primaries, knobsmen Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, got their start as engineers, recording a few singles on the side as well as remixing songs for Radiohead and Lenny Kravitz. The pair spin gorgeous webs around both the sensual, Seal-like vocals of Mozez on the aforementioned "I Have Seen" and the sultry coos of young soul divas Sia Furler and Sophie Barker on "Destiny" (Furler shines in the spotlight on the spare "Distractions"). Hardarker and Binns also approach their instrumental mini-symphonies (e.g., "Polaris" and "Give It Away") as if they were fancifully decorated gateaux, each element tastefully put in place. With Simple Things, Zero 7 have crafted a cinematic, evocative debut that injects a much-needed boost of creativity into contemporary dance music.

Lydia Vanderloo -  Barnes & Noble



Rolling Stone (12/13/01, p.152) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...More like jazz on acid than acid jazz, SIMPLE THINGS can be hallucinatory yet eminently listenable..."



Alternative Press (2/02, p.82) - 9 out of 10 - "...A creamy continuum of dreamadelic soul for the post-club generation..."
 

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