Who WOULD Kill The Zutons?

Liverpudlian five-piece, The Zutons, first blasted their way onto the music scene in September 2002 with their debut single ‘Devil’s Deal’. But it wasn’t until their 2004 debut album ‘Who Killed The Zutons’ that they really found themselves and established their unique sound as part of the most original and best British music of the moment.
The Liverpudlian music scene erupted in 1962 when The Beatles hit the charts with their debut single ‘Love Me Do”. For 8 years, Beatlemania travelled the globe, before The Beatles, and eventually Liverpudlian music, died. Now the Scousers are back! First to revitalise the Liverpudlian music scene were The Coral, whose self-titled album was released in early 2002. Following in their footsteps have been a long line of Liverpudlian bands including The Stands, The Bandits and now The Zutons. The four self-proclaimed ‘geeky’ lads and one lass are bessy mates with fellow Liverpudlians The Coral, who share their record label Deltasonic. Unfortunately for them, when they first started out in 2002, The Coral came to be a “fucking pain in the arse” for The Zutons as they had to try to develop their own style, separate from that of The Coral. Now, however, after 18 months of developing their sound, The Zutons most definitely have their own, completely original style!
The genre of this innovative CD throwing itself into the public eye? I haven’t got a clue! Then again neither does the band! Lead singer/ guitarist David McCabe explains the “modern rock” sound they were looking for and how he thinks they have reached it with this album, “We wanted to cross jazz with funk, and soul with country. We just wanted to mix everything together and get every angle on it and finally we’ve got there”. It is this eclectic mix of sounds that really makes The Zutons the ones to listen out for.
‘Zuton Fever’, the opening track, is a perfect introduction to the kooky sound of the album. It is reminiscent of old country songs, with just a splash of modern jazz as Abi Harding injects her defining soulful saxophone harmonies into the body of the song. The twangy guitar chords interlaced into the song give it a sixties boogie feel while McCabe’s nasal voice adds an indie rock flavour to the mix.
In comparison to this lively beginning, ‘Confusion’ is a more laid back tune, albeit one with a more serious theme. With regretful lyrics such as ‘I should’ve loved you better from the start’, ‘Confusion’ is obviously a heartfelt attempt to rectify his wrongs in love. The basic guitar chords used as a basis for the song, give it a simplicity and sincerity unobtainable in the complex tunes of today’s modern rock.
Based on “that first 10 minutes when you get home from work and want to kill everybody”, ‘Pressure Point’ was the first single from the album, and is by far the heaviest. An angry rampage against ‘all this pressure I don’t understand’, ‘Pressure Point’ accurately reflects the pressure we all feel when things just get too tough to cope with. The heavy drum beat crossed with a screaming McCabe, ‘AHHHHHHHHHHH pressure pressure pressure pressure pressure’, make for a dark song leaning towards the heavy metal genre.
‘Dirty Dancehall’, a song about the drugs and clubbing culture of their native Liverpool, is one of the high points of this CD. With morbid lyrics such as, ’murdering the hookers and chops off their feet’, The Zutons are obviously not singing the praises of their much loved home town (which has become the European Capital of Culture for 2008). Instead, they are drawing people’s attention to the two sides of Liverpool as the line, ‘This is just a night in the City of Culture but everyone’s whacked and looks like vultures’ shows. These thought-provoking lyrics combine with catchy guitar tunes to form one of The Zutons’ triumphs, and show the variety of themes and styles on this album.
The country and western style song, ‘Railroad’, shows that The Zutons never fail! Even with such tedious lyrics as ‘I’m working on the railroad, I dig away the time’, this proves an agreeable and easy-to-listen-to song. The monotomous guitar chords reflect the repetitive rhythm of the rails and the gentle drum beat imitates the regular motion of the train, making this song a simple, yet relaxing listen.
The final song on the album, ‘Don’t Ever Think (Too Much)’ starts, oddly, with the band clapping and humming a tune, before Harding begins blasting it out on the sax. The chorus, ‘Don’t ever think, ever think, ever think too much’ perfectly reflects the mindset of the band- life is for living and we just have to get on with it without worrying. It is this mindset which has got The Zutons where they are now- heading for the top, and fast!
The Zutons are here to stay! No doubt about it, they’ve got much more to prove and aint gonna stop til they’ve shown us all that they’re not “just another Liverpool-sounding band”. With such an outstanding debut album, the world is The Zutons’ oyster and while another Beatlemania (or should it be Zutonmania?) is unlikely to be on the cards, The Zutons have what it takes to carry them around the world. ‘Zuton Fever’ is spreading fast and it’s catching so watch out!