Got the Zuton Fever
NEIRAD enilno edition
After a while, your thumb might get tired from continually scrolling all the way to ‘Z’, but I assure you, it’s worth it. The Zutons, a rock band based out of Liverpool in England, is a band that have been trying to find themselves, so that their music will benefit.
These scousers came from no where around the time of other bands, like Franz Ferdinand, but they weren’t as well known in the U.S. as they are now. A scouser is actually a term for someone from Liverpool, because the accent that they speak in has been labeled as ‘scouse’. Their powerful guitar riffs and saxophone that compliments everything from the drums to the vocals make this band one worth hearing. Dave McCabe (vocals) seems to be sort of weird. For example, he got expelled from school for forcibly cutting off some girl’s hair. Boyan Chowhurdy, was the lead guitarist, until he left the band because he was seeking different music. Abi Harding, girlfriend of Sean Payne who plays the drums, rocks out the saxophone, which adds a different sound to the music. Lastly, there is Russell Pritchard, who plays the bass.
Their first full album Who Killed…The Zutons was released in April 2004 with 12 songs of musical brilliance. The opening song "Zuton Fever" starts with a clean guitar riff that makes your ear drums light up. The rest of the song is made so much better by the north-western English accents singing about the fever that won’t leave them alone. One of the songs on their first album, "Nightmare Part II", is a sort of apocalyptical song that talks about the end of days and describes how different people deal with it. It turns out to just be a dream in the end.
Their second album Tired of Hanging Around released in April 2006. The songs “Valerie” and “Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love?” both charted in the top ten on the UK charts. Valerie is about changes and the lyrics are again a bit abnormal.
“Did you have to go to jail, Put your house up on for sale, did you get a good lawyer? I hope you didn't catch a tan, I hope you'll find the right man who'll fix it for ya. And are you shoppin' anywhere, Changed the colour of you hair, are you busy? And did you have to pay the fine You were dodging all the time, are you still dizzy.”
These lyrics are just really sort of random and, although it seems like some of the words were put in just to rhyme, the overall effect is still quite good.
"Why Won’t You Give Me Your Love?" also has really odd lyrics, but the sound makes up for it. It also talks about keeping someone in the basement because they love them so much.
“I chain you up I make you mine I keep you Locked downstairs with all the bugs And all the rats I'll feed you rodent hair I'll keep you in my cellar safe And I'll keep you there 'til dawn I'll wait until the sun comes up Then I'll poke and prod you more into your tired.”
I think the unusualness here is pretty self explanatory. The point is, their songs aren’t all about love or lack of, and their songs have subjects that stray from the stereotypical subjects of other songs. Their songs are stories, and that makes them all the more interesting because of it.
The sound? Magical. The place? Liverpool. The downfall? They’re scousers. Their name? The Zutons.
