Zzzz - Palm Reader

Contrary to the title of their band, Zzzz is nothing that will find you claiming boredom and turning in for the night. Raised in the wondrous musical mecca of Chi-town and donning members from two highly respected bands (Swing Kids, Sweep the Leg Johnny) in the indie world, these jazzy hipsters have issued a fabulous debut, albeit only eight songs, entitled Palm Reader. Steve Sostak’s sax lines are going to be the most memorable trait of the quartet, but Zzzz also chocks up the work of a classically trained pianist (Ellen Bunch), dual vocal duties from Sostak and Bunch, a record with unpredictable rhythm changes, frenzied shouting, and a style that’s really difficult to pinpoint. You can dance to this, but pseudo-disco/punk isn’t what the band has in mind. The moods vary from tumultuous and exhilarating to darker and denser injections of foreboding keyboards jarring swing tempos. “Assassination Polka” is a bit of a joker, as the album’s most enjoyable and upbeat track also happens to be the introduction, but that isn’t to say that the remainder of Palm Reader is unacceptable. I’d tell you what the band’s lyrical muse was, if only I could understand the lyrics. Sostak and Bunch don’t hesitate to finish each other’s sentences, spit out random noises, toy with their inflections, and so on. It doesn’t matter, though; gibberish seems to fit perfectly well on their plate. The band stretches the album over 37 minutes, and though it has its ups and downs, there isn’t a painful second to be found. The abundance of energy and ingenuity is an attention-keeper, and Palm Reader is a solvent to stagnancy. [www.zzzzmusic.com]