Here's the Night&Day story on Zero 7 which ran Thursday, June 3, 2004. I had a chance to check out the show at 4th & B. While seeing and hearing the four vocalists firsthand was a treat, the show seemed a little rehearsed and scripted. So here's the preview:
POP MUSIC
The method according to Zero 7
'We try to sit in a room together and do something that we like'
By Chris Nixon
June 3, 2004
Akin to the protagonist in Sting's "Englishman in New York," Sam Hardaker finds himself wandering around suburban Maryland searching for a proper British breakfast. The North Londoner sounds a tad lost during a phone conversation from his Ramada Inn room, where culture shock seems to be setting in – sans a spot of tea.
"We're doing a gig in D.C. tonight. But for some reason there was a mixup with the hotel, so we've ended up in a hotel 20 miles outside of D.C.," says Hardaker. "I was just out trying to get some food and I'm kind of struggling. It's all junk food. That's all there is. We haven't been here since the last time we were touring, and it takes me a bit to re-acquaint myself with your charming ways. I guess we spend a lot of time on big roads, and big roads don't tend to have the stuff I want near them."
Big roads have taken Hardaker and childhood friend Henry Binns – who make up the core of British soulful chill-out masters Zero 7 – from their homes in London and reluctantly through America's fast food drive-ins and the meat grinder of played-out pop culture.
After serious overexposure, their beautiful songs adorn the elevators, doctors' offices and strip malls of America, making their tunes the musical equivalent of a Supersized Big Mac meal.
"Our music was used a lot on TV," says Hardaker, lamenting on his music's association with fashion and fads. "They would use 20 seconds of our music on a home makeover program or a holiday show or gardening shows. It just seemed to be everywhere. After a while, it was pretty horrible. A lot of people were like, 'I just wish this music would go away.' "
Before the big-time saturation, big roads also brought Zero 7's knack for creating lush, organic settings to the world, exposing new legions of fans to its sultry summation of 1970s soul and jazz.
Growing up in the same neighborhood, the duo bonded through their mutual obsession for music.
"We were both really influenced by underground pirate radio stations in London," says Hardaker. "You could just tune into hundreds of illegal radio stations being broadcast from the projects. So there was all this really great music being played on the radio, especially on the weekends. A lot of old stuff being played – soul, funk and jazz – stuff that we wouldn't necessarily have heard. So that was really influential as far as our musical development."
After discovering the joys of '60s and '70s grooves through pirate radio, both Hardaker and Binns worked as engineering assistants at one of London's prestigious recording studios, Mickie Most's RAK Studios. Along with Nigel Godrich (who would later produce Beck and Radiohead), the trio recorded the top bands and artists of the day, performers like Robert Plant and the Pet Shop Boys.
During their off-hours, ensconced in a tiny back room, Hardaker and Binns concocted the programmed beats and melodies that became Zero 7's 2001 debut album "Simple Things."
Bringing in the vocal talents of Mozez (pronounced "Moses"), Sia Furler and Sophie Barker, the two producers sculpted an album filled with 14 lush compositions and beautiful, organic instrumentation. "Simple Things" sold over 1 million copies worldwide, while getting nominated for the Mercury Prize and the music industry's exalted Shortlist.
After a year of touring, Zero 7 faced the daunting task of matching the critical and commercial success of the first record.
"We definitely felt pressure," says Hardaker reflecting on the making of "When It Falls," released in March on Elektra. "We felt pressure because we wanted to make a record that we were proud of and felt good about. Going from the first record – where nobody knows who you are – to having this idea that somehow people are taking you seriously, there's definitely a different atmosphere. Suddenly, you're a recording artist. At the end of the day, we try to sit in a room together and do something that we like."
For "When It Falls," Hardaker and Binns brought back the trio of vocalists from the debut ( Mozez, Barker and Furler), adding Tina Dico on the tracks "Home" and "The Space Between." The disc retains the first album's silky appeal, while delving further into orchestral composition.
Like many records that represent a place and time, "Simple Things" found critics scrambling for words of excited affirmation. But down-tempos and jazzy electronica's evolution from trendy lounge soundtrack into the elevator music of the new millennium doomed Zero 7's follow-up, proving the fickle nature of fashion.
A few critics in England panned "When It Falls," including a particularly scathing review by the Guardian's Alexis Petridis. In the United States, critics conveyed a mix of muted praise and adoration.
"It's difficult, because the first album took us into some quite mainstream places," says Hardaker, who will take the stage at 4th & B Saturday with the 10-piece version of Zero 7. "I guess naturally it will level out at a place where we can happily exist with what we want to do and any sort of commerciality the record company may want to get out of us."
Chris Nixon is San Diego writer.
the buzz > > > > > > > >
Hometown: London, England
Discography: "Simple Things" (2001), "When It Falls" (2004)
Albums Zero 7's Sam Hardaker listened to when recording "When It Falls":
David Crosby, "If Could Only Remember My Name" (1971): "It's his first solo album. I don't think it's in my all-time Top 10, but there are some good songs on it."
Common, "Electric Circus" (2002): "His record came out around the time we were making our album, and we were digging on the hip-hop vibe."
Beth Gibbons and Rustin Man, "Out of Season" (2003): "I think the production is nice in a subtle way. It's really interesting without trying to be anything really cool."
The Beach Boys, "Surf's Up" (1971): "There's a song on there called 'Surf's Up' and an instrumental called 'Feel Flows' which is pretty. And 'Til I Die' is one of the best songs I've ever heard."
– CHRIS NIXON
