The French RIO band Zaar were created from the crumbled ashes left behind after the demise of Sotos, a fine band that were around in the late 90's playing music with a sound not unlike bands such as Univers Zero, Magma, KIng Crimson, Present, Gentle Giant, and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. With the formation of Zaar, the RIO and chamber rock sounds remain, and leaders Yan Hazera (guitars) and Michael Hazera (drums) decided to find a new bass player in Pairbon, and replace the violin/cello player from Sotos with someone on hurdy gurdy, that person being Cosia. The end result is no less complex, with majestic passages mixed with dissonant harmonies, as the musicians weave intricate lines around each other, giving the music an overall mysterious and ominous sound.
The CD was engineered by none other than Bob Drake, himself a well-known recording artist on the ReR Megacorp label and also producer to such acts as Sotos, Nebelnest, Thinking Plague, and Hamster Theater. Zaar couldn't have found a more perfect fit for their debut.
If you have the patience for this sort of music, the album will work wonders for you if you give it a few spins, as the oddball melodies and complex passages merge with the crisp production to give the listener a sense of warmth not heard on many releases these days.
I'll be the first to tell you I have no idea of how to play a hurdy gurdy, and until compiling information to do this review I had never even see one. Thanks to some wonderful web pages on the Internet I was able to get an idea of the workings of this instrument.
Needless to say, once you listen to Cosia's playing on this album you will wonder how someone can get such lovely and soaring sounds on what looks like a very cumbersome instrument. Basically, the hurdy gurdy sounds like a combination of a violin and cello, but it is shaped almost like a large box with a small neck on it, a little bit larger than a violin with a beefy wooden body. However, if you didn't read the liner notes of the CD you could swear the band had a cello and violin player. Cosia opens up the epic opening track "Sefir" with ragged, almost distrorted lines on the hurdy gurdy before the band lurches in with plenty of dark and dissonant melodies, punctuated by the effects laden bass notes from Pairbon. From there it's a long and adventurous ride through "rock in opposition" and "Zeuhl" heaven. There are two main epic tracks, and a batch of shorter pieces, plus the hard rocking, almost King Crimson-ish "Scherzo # C", which is a really good workout for guitarist Yan Hazera as he gets to show off his muscular side.
The CD was engineered by none other than Bob Drake, himself a well-known recording artist on the ReR Megacorp label and also producer to such acts as Sotos, Nebelnest, Thinking Plague, and Hamster Theater. Zaar couldn't have found a more perfect fit for their debut.
If you have the patience for this sort of music, the album will work wonders for you if you give it a few spins, as the oddball melodies and complex passages merge with the crisp production to give the listener a sense of warmth not heard on many releases these days.
I'll be the first to tell you I have no idea of how to play a hurdy gurdy, and until compiling information to do this review I had never even see one. Thanks to some wonderful web pages on the Internet I was able to get an idea of the workings of this instrument.
Needless to say, once you listen to Cosia's playing on this album you will wonder how someone can get such lovely and soaring sounds on what looks like a very cumbersome instrument. Basically, the hurdy gurdy sounds like a combination of a violin and cello, but it is shaped almost like a large box with a small neck on it, a little bit larger than a violin with a beefy wooden body. However, if you didn't read the liner notes of the CD you could swear the band had a cello and violin player. Cosia opens up the epic opening track "Sefir" with ragged, almost distrorted lines on the hurdy gurdy before the band lurches in with plenty of dark and dissonant melodies, punctuated by the effects laden bass notes from Pairbon. From there it's a long and adventurous ride through "rock in opposition" and "Zeuhl" heaven. There are two main epic tracks, and a batch of shorter pieces, plus the hard rocking, almost King Crimson-ish "Scherzo # C", which is a really good workout for guitarist Yan Hazera as he gets to show off his muscular side.
If you are open minded in regards to avant-garde instrumental progressive rock, then give this debut from Zaar a try. I think this band will be around for a while, maturing and honing their brand of experimental and dark music for today's modern prog audience. Good stuff!
:::Review by Pete Pardo:::
Zaar - Zaar (2009)
1. Sëfir (20:07)
2. Zolg (1:59)
3. Ce n'est pas triste (2:42)
4. Tougoudougoum (1:29)
5. Discasambo (3:23)
6. Omk (17:20)
7. Scherzaaah (0:38)
8. Scherzo # C (4:45)
9. [...] (1:34)
Credits
- Yan Hazera / guitar
- Michael Hazera / drums
- Cosia / Hurdy Gurdy
- Pairbon / bass, double-bass
Zaar - Zaar (2009)
1. Sëfir (20:07)
2. Zolg (1:59)
3. Ce n'est pas triste (2:42)
4. Tougoudougoum (1:29)
5. Discasambo (3:23)
6. Omk (17:20)
7. Scherzaaah (0:38)
8. Scherzo # C (4:45)
9. [...] (1:34)
Credits
- Yan Hazera / guitar
- Michael Hazera / drums
- Cosia / Hurdy Gurdy
- Pairbon / bass, double-bass
:::here:::