CD REVIEW – ZA! – Loloismo

CD REVIEW – ZA! – Loloismo
Valve Records
2015
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
7 1/2 /10

To listeners more used to traditional rock and roll formats, ZA!’s free-form prog-jazz-rock may sound at times like a couple of drumkits falling down an elevator shaft while your Grade One kid’s band tries to play twelve different songs at once.

Don’t let this deter you, though, unless bland commercial radio is the height of musical adventure in your life.

The duo of mad scientists who make up ZA! Are clearly schooled in the more avant garde corners of Frank Zappa’s work, and the more one listens to Loloismo, the more one finds structure through the bewildering array of rhythms, percussion and unexpected instruments.

There’s also no denying that to those of us with English as a first language, ZA!’s chanting, singing, chatting and shouting in Spanish has an undeniable exotic beauty, even if it makes understanding what’s going on almost impossible (despite the faithfully transcribed lyric sheet contained herein.)

In summary, Loloismo is an exploratory record for those keen to explore something unusual. Mad, beautiful, bewildering and exciting all at once, ZA! are on record, as live, not for everyone… but those willing to give it a go knowing all this, are most likely to find a lot to enjoy here.

Category: CD Reviews