..:: audio-music dot info ::..


Main Page      The Desert Island      Copyright Notice
 Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz


Zero 7: When it Falls

 A l b u m   D e t a i l s


Label: Elektra Records
Released: 2004.03.02
Time:
 59:08
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] Warm Sound (Binns/Hardaker/Wright) - 5:30
[2] Home (Binns/Dickow/Hardaker/Madden) - 4:37
[3] Somersault (Binns/Furler/Hardaker) - 6:57
[4] Over Our Heads (Binns/Hardaker/Wright) - 4:24
[5] Passing By) - Barker/Binns/Hardaker) - 4:52
[6] When It Falls (Binns/Hardaker) - 5:31
[7] The Space Between (Binns/Dickow/Hardaker) - 6:01
[8] Look Up (Binns/Hardaker) - 5:57
[9] In Time (Barker/Binns/Hardaker) - 4:58
[10] Speed Dial No. 2 (Binns/Furler/Godrich/Hardaker) - 3:51
[11] Morning Song (Binns/Hardaker/Wright) - 6:32

 A r t i s t s ,   P e r s o n n e l


Henry Binns -  Producer
Sam Hardaker - Producer

Brilliant Strings - Strings
Neil Cowley - Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer
Barnaby Dickinson - Trombone
Adam Glasser - Harmonica
Nigel Godrich - Guitar, Sounds
Sally Herbert - Violin, Leader
Siobhan Lamb - Flute
Dan Lipman - Flute
Dedi Madden - Acoustic Guitar, Guitar
Robin Mullarkey - Bass
Gerard Presencer - Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Brass, Brass Arrangement, Woodwind Arrangement
Alan Simpson - Acoustic Guitar
Jeremy Stacey - Drums
Eddie Stevens - Hammond Organ, Moog Synthesizer
Crispin Taylor - Drums
Peter Trotman - Bass

Yvonne John Lewis - Vocals, Background Vocals
Tina Dico - Vocals
Sia Furler - Vocals

 C o m m e n t s ,   N o t e s


2004 CD Elektra 61558
2004 CD Palm 5035
2004 LP Rhino 78910
2004 CD Ultimate Dilemma 5046709872
2004 CS Ultimate Dilemma 5046709875
2004 LP Eastwest 505046709871

Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker made their debut as Zero 7 to much acclaim with 2001's SIMPLE THINGS. The UK duo's follow-up, WHEN IT FALLS, is a refinement of their style, rather than an expansion. Producers/songwriters Binns and Hardaker once again concoct a sultry melange of soul, acid jazz, pop, and electronica, all filtered through a hazy, late-night mood that gets murky but never melancholic. On this set of songs, warm electric piano and twinkling synthesizers dance atop a bed of subtly insinuated funk grooves with a lazy, mid-summer feeling. Guest vocalists (mostly female) intone sweetly atop Binns and Hardaker's tracks, perhaps most notably the honey-voiced Mozez, reprising her role from the first album. The perky "Look Up" speeds along in a loungey, Stereolab kind of way, but otherwise WHEN IT FALLS is strictly music for the chill-out room, a silky salve for tired ears, and a place where both bed-sitters and all-night revelers can come to collect themselves and soak up the serene vibe.




Downbeat acts proceed down the middle of the road at their own peril. While such a path may guarantee them a lucrative career in Starbucks outlets and on crossover compilations, the onset of advanced musicianship and mature songwriting often comes at the expense of artistic ability (see the steady downward fall of Groove Armada for an example). Zero 7, one of the few acts following in the wake of Air that had the talent to match, debuted with a record (Simple Things) that featured some of the warmest, most mellifluous tracks heard in electronic music since Moon Safari. When It Falls, their second record, finds the duo largely sticking to the same formula, with all the sinewy basslines and languorous vocals that follow along. As before, Zero 7 is more of a band than most downbeat acts, with credits for bass, guitar, and drums plus keyboards, brass, flute, and strings. Much of the record is nearly perfect downbeat, and the productions of Zero 7 main men Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns mesh perfectly with the instrumentation — so well, in fact, that the record threatens to sink into a nether region of pop music that's both flawless and harmless, more adult alternative than electronic pop. There's nothing wrong with that prospect, but when a downbeat act begins to emulate a pop act, the situation practically demands developed songs and tighter hooks. Unfortunately, only a few tracks here meet those criteria. Fortunately, though, they are beautiful indeed. On "Home," new addition Tina Dico summons the downy, pastoral yearning that's become de rigueur for downbeat female vocalists, and the returning Sia Furler shines on a track ("Somersault") that's simultaneously spacy and down-home. Sophie Barker, the star of Simple Things' "Destiny," returns for "In Time," one of the sweetest tracks Zero 7 has ever produced. The rest of the record, however, possesses very few of the unburnished edges needed by albums with character or personality. When It Falls reaches a nadir of sorts on "The Space Between," a pleasant song that unfortunately descends into self-parody over the course of its six minutes — two minutes of which are taken up by an overripe harmonica solo.

John Bush - All Music Guide



Beautifully crafted and produced, When It Falls is a fitting follow-up to Zero 7's 2001 platinum hit Simple Things. Reintroducing several of their debut's guest vocalists, the band continue to meld subtle orchestration, elegant jazz and easy-going West Coast soul and folk, creating a sound so tasteful it makes Morcheeba sound like Napalm Death. The album opens with the appropriately titled "Warm Sound," where long-time collaborator Mozez delivers his spacey soul over a quivering flute and funky keys. Later he reappears for the string-swept lullaby "Over Our Heads." Next up is newcomer Tina Dico who lends the softest of vocals to "Home," where quietly chiming guitars rise to a careful collision of brass, and "The Space Between," a techno-update of 70s folk-jazz. Much the same service is provided by Sophie Barker on "Passing By" and "In Time," which recalls the sweet innocence of early James Taylor. It's left to Sia Furler to add extra color, her slight rasp lending character to both "Somersault" and "Speed Dial No 2." Throughout, the band introduce a welter of instruments and effects, sometimes approaching the psychedelic, though they're keen to avoid an over-technological coldness--the squeak of finger on guitar string is never far away. For fans of Simple Things, it's a real treat.

Dominic Wills - Amazon.com



Die beiden Londoner Sam Hardaker und Henry Binns bilden das Pendant zu Jean-Benoit Dunckel und Nicolas Godin aus Paris. Englands Air heißen also Zero 7, denn die Parallelen sind auch auf dem zweiten Zero-7-Album When It Falls schon sehr deutlich hörbar. Das Album klinkt sich so ungefähr aus allem aus, was die Seele im noch jungen Jahrtausend so peinigt: Flugangst, Bomben-Paranoia, Zukunftsphobie, nervige Politik und ein Eimer voll mit Problemen. Die Schöngeister von Zero 7 machen da einfach die Tür zu und holen sich ein bisschen Frieden in die eigenen vier Wände. Mit nach draußen nehmen kann man diese federleichte Musik aber auch, zum Beispiel in Fahrstühle, Schöner-Wohnen-Läden, Espresso-Bars oder Lounge-Bereiche. Nur in die Disco und ähnlich laute Orte darf das Album nicht. Dafür ist es einfach zu schön, zu süßlich, zu harmlos und warmherzig. Zero 7 haben auf When It Falls die Elektronikabteilung ein wenig entrümpelt und die Schwerpunkte von digitalem Downbeat zu mehr analoger Songorientiertheit verschoben. Zur Verstärkung haben sich die beiden Songwriter Verstärkung ins Studio geholt: Flötenspieler, Streicher, Bläser, Keyboarder und einige bezaubernde Sängerinnen. Nur die Melodien, die haben Zero 7 manchmal vergessen, und die brauchen Songs im Gegensatz zu Downbeat-Tracks. So ist When It Falls über weite Strecken eine angenehm warme Ohrenspülung ohne Neben– und Nachwirkungen. Zur Ehrenrettung des Album muss aber erwähnt werden, das Tracks wie "Passing By" mit seinen überraschenden, dezenten Rock-Ausbrüchen, das sehr feinfühlig ausstaffierte "The Space Between" und "Look Up" dank leichter Tempoverschärfung herausragen. Darauf lässt sich aufbauen, besonders, wenn Zero 7 endlich aufhören, Air nachzueifern.

Sven Niechziol - Amazon.de



You may not know the names Sam Hardaker and Henry Binns, but chances are you've heard the seductive grooves of their musical imprint, Zero 7, emanating from a cool café, club, or boutique. Their debut album, 2001's Simple Things, gave down-tempo dance music a wider appeal, instilling the duo's sinewy rhythms and Air-y synths with a smooth soul, courtesy of vocal contributions from Sia Furler, Mozez, and Sophie Barker (the voice on the trippy single "Destiny"). For their follow-up, Hardaker and Binns don't fix what ain't broke: All three singers return, as does the London pair's seamless blend of synths, slithery beats, and jazz-tinged live instrumentation - fans of Norah Jones will dig the organ solos on retro-daubed tunes such as "Somersault" and the meditative "The Space Between," a showcase for the knowing vocals of newcomer Tina Dico. While the disc boasts a consistent and compelling vibe, Hardaker and Binns - onetime remixers for Radiohead and Lenny Kravitz -- work with some variety within their chosen mood, from the synth-drenched, mostly instrumental "Look Up," which casts them as the heir to producers such as David Axelrod, to the spare "In Time," where a delicate web of sound, chiefly acoustic guitars, forms a backdrop for Barker's dreamy singing. "Take some time, just hang around a while," she beckons, and the easygoing songs, enchanting singers, and graceful production on When It Falls make it hard to disobey.

Lydia Vanderloo - Barnes & Noble


Rolling Stone (3/18/04, p.70) - 3 stars out of 5 - "WHEN IT FALLS is absolutely busting with floaty Fender Rhodes keyboard riffs, plucked acoustic guitars, billowing coronets and sexy vocalists."



Spin (4/04, p.94) - "[T]hese svelte English soul-jazzers continue to play it sweet and low..." - Grade: B+



Entertainment Weekly (3/12/04, p.114) - "[Zero 7] return with a more accessible set of dreamy love songs." - Rating: B



Q (4/04, p.121) - 4 stars out of 5 - "WHEN IT FALLS is a sublime collection that surpasses its predecessor. It's the same sandy-smooth blend of jazz, funk, soul and the relaxed hip hop beats that informed SIMPLE THINGS..."



Mojo (Publisher) (3/04, p.104) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[T]he enchanting voice of Sia Furler lightly caresses its sweetest moments."

 

 L y r i c s


Currently no Lyrics available!

 M P 3   S a m p l e s


Currently no Samples available!