@ www theotherpress.ca

Arts

 

The Zolas blast off

Alook at Ancient Mars’

By Eric Wilkins,
Staff Writer

O)isiendins. Unbeliev-

able. Exceptional.

Awesome. Scrumptious.
These were all words that I
envisioned to describe the
latest Zolas album prior to
its release, and thanks to the
brilliance of the quirky song
writing duo of Zachary
Gray and Tom Dobrzanski,
I can carry on that line of
thinking.

Ancient Mars (re
leased October 2) is the
Vancouver-based group’s
second album, and, simply
put, is out of this world.

While most artists’ records
typically contain several
tracks of obvious chaff /

filler, the Zolas’ follow-up
to 2010's Tic Toc Tic is a solid
listen throughout. If there’s

Guitars golden girl ‘Glows

Kaki Kings new album

By Elliot Chan, Contributor

+ | + ft +
‘; fo\ fo Fo

Considered by many

as one of the best
guitarists in the world, Kaki
King confirms it with her
sixth full-length album,
Glow. Katherine Elizabeth
King, a.k.a. Kaki King,
returns to her roots with an
instrumental collection that
will be available on October
9. Displaying all her
imaginative musical talent,
Glow has the potency to
transport listeners to other
parts of the world, proving
that even without lyrics,
music remains a universal
language.

With assistance from
ETHEL, a string quartet
based out of New York,
Kaki King achieves a
dynamic range, where one
song can have a distinct
feel of the Orient (“Bowen
Island”) and another

have arich Irish sound
(“King Pizel’”). Some

songs soundtrack the
cacophonies of urban hustle
and grind, while others
evoke a tranquil imagery

of somewhere fat, far away.
Very few artists are able to
create settings the way King
does.

In contrast to her 2010
album Junior, Glow lacks
King’s vividly haunting
vocals. Although her
classical acoustic ability
remains stunning, it is a
shame that she did not
contribute some of her
poetic styling into her new
works.

That is not to say
she’s simplified her music
though; on the contrary.
Glow’s content is far more
complex than any verse-
and-chorus song around.
But I am a sucker for lyrics;
the added dimension of
words is usually what
makes a song memorable.
Nevertheless, the album is
King in her element; there
is nothing she can’t do with

six strings.
If busy students need a
reason to explore new music,

 

anything wrong with the
album, it’s that it’s too
short.

consider Glow to be a studying

companion.
Kaki King will also be

Moving into the music
itself, it’s evident right off
the bat that Gray and Do-
brzanski were looking to
experiment with creating a
new sound for themselves.
“In Heaven” is a decidedly
heavier track than anything
the group has previously
put out, but is by no means
an unwelcome offering.
“Knot In My Heart” was re-
leased as a single before the
album, and provides a clear
contrast to the clean sound
of Tic Toc Tic, featuring a
strong dose of distortion for
pretty much everything.

It’s difficult not to gush
over each and every new
tune, but if you’re just look-
ing for a select track to add
to your collection, be sure to
give “Observatory” a listen.
Ridiculously catchy and ri-
diculously good.

 

Kaki King will be in Vancouver touring in support of Glow at the Rio Theatre on October 16.

performing at the Rio Theatre
next Tuesday, October 16.
Tickets are only $20 at the door!

7