This is absolutely essential listening. Zao were the best band of France's Zuehl scene, some marks better than Magma, I would say. That being a pure musical enjoyability level anyway. Like most bands of the scene Zao has two Magma transplants, being Yochk'o Seffer and Francois Cahen.
One further Magma comparison comes from the emblematic album cover art approach, however, once again Zao succeeds in out doing Magma.
This is the best album. It's pretty much all here. Yochk'o Seffer's excellent saxophone and vocals, Francois Cahen's Keyboards, dynamic sensibility, electric violin, Joel Dugrenot's baritone vocals, worthy musicianship from all members, present and contributing bass, exciting drumming, interesting arrangements, melodies, rhythms, and textures (tonalities/sounds), chaos, harmony, vocals in a language no one knows or understands if in any language at all, et cetera, and et cetera.
As far as the language goes, I always figured it allowed the vocals to be an extension of melody and let the voice act purely as an instrument without meaning outside of it's sonorous qualities. This is important; we don't get non-musical concepts infiltrating our musical experience. Too often there is nothing to say anyway, and what would a one have to say over something like this?
Generally this is high energy music, but there are plenty of low down times, such as the majority of Isis and all of La Rhune. Yog is the stand out and Shardaz is another great number.
One non-album track is provided you. Montreal. It's decent and is one of those sustained melody tracks that goes on little under 12 minutes. That sounds like La Rhune, actually. The difference is La Rhune is about a 1/3 as long and has less of a concentration on keyboard performance. Montreal is softer and more light-hearted than the album's initial closer. Female vocals on this one. I have wondered for sometime if the vocalist here is the same as the one from Zao's first,
Z=7L, no clue on that however.
Beware: this is the same version that's been floating out there for some time and has a bass heavy mix and an error about 2 and 1/2 minuets in to Isis. I have offered you the best I can.
1. Shardaz
2. Isis
3. Reinna
4. Yog
5. La Rhune
6. Montreal
P.S. No Magma hate here. Wait and you shall receive. . .
P.P.S. I heard Zao long before I ever got into Magma, perhaps this provides some indication of my preference? I feel quite objective about all this.
UPDATE 2015-Feb-20 [superior non-skip/error 320k upload]:
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
