APZOO EP: Shoegaze Evolved

            This is a retrospective review of Asalto al Parque Zoológico’s first release: The original version of their APZOO EP (2009), and the 13th review here on Track-By-Track.

            Asalto al Parque Zoológico (APZOO for short) is a band from Buenos Aires in Argentina.  Though they’re a fairly recent band -- they’ve been going since 2008 -- I’m reviewing their EP as part of the retrospective theme of this month because I would normally avoid reviewing music released before 2012, to keep current.
            And the retrospective theme suits them perfectly.  They have a style like older alternative rock, just with hints of modern flare.  There are noise rock and psychedelic elements to their work, but mainly they’re a shoegaze band.  There are also some old-school (not mainly synth) dream-pop sounds underneath their overall noise-gazing bliss, underplayed to near-obscurity.  When I found APZOO, I was amazed that there were bands keeping shoegaze alive, let alone being evolutionary forces keeping it growing, like this EP certainly does.
            Here’s my TBT:

            The EP starts off with “Below”, a visceral grating guitar tone with soft drums and blurred vocals, with a scoop-processed bass.  It’s ethereal, but also harsh, and sounds like My Bloody Valentine playing a set with The Flaming Lips (“Ego Tripping” era).  There’s a great uneasiness that is pronounced with the warping and drifting guitars and vocals throughout; which are quickly interrupted by a holocaust of starchy distorted guitar, somewhat comparable to “You Made Me Realize”

            Then comes “Breeze”.  Huge loud guitars, with vocals that skillfully double-trip over each word.  The bass pretty much never stops, and it sounds more like the hum of a large vehicle at times than just a bass guitar.  the drums are heavy and the low frequency is emphasized.  At the end, there’s a mainly reversed coda, which is a definite homage to My Bloody Valentine’s Tremolo and Loveless era codas.

            “Awake” is more psych-rock; kinda like The Brian Jonestown Massacre playing with The Dandy Warhols.  There’s a huge resonant whirlwind, and strange shimmering (heavily delayed with loads of high-frequency) guitars.  It’s a treat to hear chords and sounds this unusual, especially with tambourine and a bass kick like a persistent deep drum on a log.  The lyrics are repetitive, but it suits the song.  There’s a dissonance between the resonant washes of what I think is reverb and the main guitar and vocal sounds, that makes it that much more alternative.

            “Slow Motion” is the second-last song on the APZOO EP.  It’s a noise-rock piece.  People who like both The Velvet Underground and Rune Lindblad will love this one.  It’s instrumental, and seems to have muddled bass and a guitar that sounds pitch-treated, awash in huge reverb.  Those low-end frequencies makes the APZOO EP sound older than it is, to good effect.

            “Le Dernier Jour” is the final track, and though I don’t speak its language, I do love the clarity of the vocals; it’s unusual in shoegazing tracks, though it works just as well as obscuring them does.  It sounds like a shoegaze-influenced modern track, until the chorus messes with expectations by removing the reverb, and changing key.  You’ll find radio-transmissions (or vocals that sound like them) throughout the second half, and there’s a feedback solo that gives way to another coda.  And before you know it, like the snap of a finger, it’s over.

            Overall, this EP is an earthy alternative rock/shoegaze treat, and like all addictive substances, makes you want more.  APZOO has since re-released the EP with two new tracks -- and deleted their original Bandcamp page, which mentioned what year the original EP was released -- but the new songs very nearly stand on their own.  You can stream for free and purchase in CD quality at http://sadness.bandcamp.com/album/apzoo-ep-asalto-al-parque-zool-gico.  And the new version's new tracks are like the cherry on the cake.