Zëro

First there is “Big screen / Flat people”, with a New York atmosphere that only these French are capable of producing. It’s both powerful and tense. We immediately think of Bästard whose last unforgettable LP“Radiant, Discharged, Crossed Off” was released ten years ago.

But time hasn’t stood still and Zëro isn’t Bästard ; this first title is a
testimony of the link between the two dieresis, a cross between what
Bästard and Narcophony used to be and another project surrounded with the subtle and contemporary melody written by Eric Aldéa and Ivan
Chiossone. They both were the dominant strength of Zëro, along with
Franck Laurino and François Cuilleron.

And then comes “Go stereo”, a sublime piece of work that we could
humourously qualify as after post-rock, dazzling and heady, and which definitively molds Zëro’s own identity. “Go stereo” is a genuine contemporary hymn to Phil Spector’s “Back to the mono”, boundless and totally international. No need for high-tech to make this work. Everything is done just the way a live performance should be done with a group that is both rigorous and laid back, the sound being the sole
motive for perfectionism and determination. All you have to do to understand this is to see them in concert.

It’s undoubtedly with this title that Zëro’s message unveils the way they see the rock “genre”- with total freedom of expression, a mix of cultures and influences where Sun Ra’s jazz and Captain Beefheart’s
blues are not far from being completely assimilated.

Obviously, Zëro’s music has more to do with creativity than with staying in the beaten path of rock with a specific identity. It's as much Jack Berrocal and Gene Vincent playing a “Drag Queen blues” under ecstasy and classic Devo's envigorating “Automotown / Space girl blues” as it is the krautrock by Can and Kraftwerk in “Luna Park”, an entertaining
song which provokes an addictive cerebral experience. You can also sense Neurotic Pavement, Eternally Young Wankers Sonic Youth, and a bunch of other freaks, who, all off the beaten path have constantly re-written the language of rock with intelligence and singularity.

Each title escapes from the previous one, unclassifiable, escaping from the routine, leaving the listener with a smile and a chuckle. The “Joke Box” is like the smirk of an illusionist about to open his magic box. Pleasure and surprise are always present.
The name Zëro, perhaps without the humble group member's realizing it, is well suited to the fact that their music is at the origin of this genre of music. “Joke Box” is a superb anthology.