Zach Hill - Astrological Straits (Mean Street - July 2008)

ZACH HILL

Astrological Straits

(Ipecac)

Zach Hill is one of the few unsung drummers on the scene today, and Astrological Straits shows why his style will be recognized by the masses real soon. Within the first few seconds of opening track “Iambic Strays,” his music sounds like a space alien’s first encounter with Earth drugs, with psychedelia-meets-free form drumming as its soundtrack. The record plays through like an eerie story, where each piece of music represents a moment in time. Hill shows off his manic drum rolling skills on “Street People” and “Hindsight Is Nowhere,” while on “Keep Calm and Carry On,” he plays on one of the few standard rock tunes on this album. He is one of the few drummers that are keeping music interesting, and this record comes highly recommended to those who are sick of the standard.

Grade: A

REI NISHIMOTO