cero

Released: 22.06.08 / Label: KAKUBARHYTHM

Glitch effects over a creepy forest at night? Alright cover, you’ve peaked my interest.

cero formed in 2004, and each member of this Tokyo based trio contributes to the songwriting and producing of their music. Given how long they’ve been around I’m surprised I haven’t heard more about them. I’d love to see how they perform live, and it seems like they have some DVDs available to check out, so add that to my list of homework. It looks like they’ve been rather prolific over the years, but let’s see how this newest single sounds.

The band is closing in on 20 years and their sound reflects their experience. Mature and confident, without any sense of pandering. This isn’t an easy song to really dig deep into. The lyrics are dark and poetic, the music is noisy and chaotic, and the groove, while constant, is unnerving. Quite the experimental electronic pop piece. It’s in the same vein as Bjork but more constrained to the pop format particularly the vocals. I really like the horns in this, they’re played freely but tastefully and the song’s form is always clear. The outro is a bit much, and the song seems to be lacking a fulfilling climax, it just kind of gets big and then slowly peters out. But not in an interesting way, it almost feels like they recorded a lot of horn parts and wanted to fit them all in.

The production is really good for the depth of the piece, very dark. I wonder how they found the right balance. The cover is cool and matches the tone of the song, though the glitch color scheme seems a bit too festive. Overall there’s just a really good mood surrounding the track. Not something I would listen to on a sunny walk, but rainy days when I’m feeling dark? Absolutely.

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