27 / Twin Zero—27:00 (2005)

Details

27: Songs written and recorded, May 2005 at The Garment District. Twin Zero: “In Sha’ Allah” recorded at Rainstick Studios, Nottingham; “Monolith (Reprise)” recorded at The Distraction Room @ Zi Studios, Nottingham. 27/Twin Zero: Sampled elements from tracks 1-4 by 27 and TwinZero. Remix and additional guitar: Reuben Gotto. Mastered at Ideal Mastering, London.

Bands

27

Maria Christoper—Vocals, guitars
Neil Coulon—Drums, clarinet
Ayal Naor—Baritone guitar, samplers

Twin Zero

Karl Middleton—Vocals
Bing Garcia—Guitar
Reuben Gotto—Guitar
Anf Morfitt—Bass
Dave Cheeseman—Keyboards
Si Hutchby—Drums

Tracks

27—Half Life (Half)
27—Downfall of the upright
Twin Zero—In Sha’ Allah
Twin Zero—Monolith (Reprise)
27/Twin Zero—0027

Review

27 are an American indie / lo-fi rock band from Cambridge/Boston, Massachusetts, Twin Zero are a British prog rock band from I guess in or near Nottingham in the UK. This EP it seems came about following a tour that the two bands shared in 2005.

The EP features two tracks by each band followed by a final track created from samples of the previous four songs by Reuben Gotto (Guitarist with Twin Zero). Two bands, 27 and Twin Zero (00), release a 27 minutes’ long EP called… wait for it… ’27:00′. See what they did there?

The EP opens with a very fragile song “Half Life” by 27. Maria Christoper has a beautifully delicate voice which put me in mind of Björk (without the craziness) and Melissa auf der Maur (MadM). Their second song, “The Downfall of the Upright” is a little rockier with a very simple but catchy bass riff. This definitely put me in mind of MadM’s first solo album.

British progists Twin Zero‘s first song “In Sha’ Allah” begins with a delicately picked acoustic riff in front of a chorus of voices. The vibe of the song put me in mind of Missouri-based band Less (one of my favourite internet musical finds).The sound, however, reminds me of something from Alice in Chains’ acoustic EPs Sap (1992) or Jar of Flies (1994). Their second song “Monolith (Reprise)” is more a laid back, piano led offering that kicks up a bit of a pace about halfway through. Think lo-hi Spiritualized and you’ve more or less got it.

The final track is a fusion of the previous four tracks on the EP. It’s very well done, so much so that it took me about five or six listens through to realise what they had done. As a whole the track reminds me in places of Nine Inch Nails.

Conclusion

This is yet another CD in this project that I really like. It contains what sounds like a fusion of a few of my favourite bands but also manages to retain its own identity. What could have made this release better is simply it being longer.

Review score: 90%