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Album Review

The Zero Point Field
The Zero Point Field Bandcamp

Article written by Kev W - Jul 10, 2015

Prog rock has been clawing its way back for quite a while now, and while the thought alone may be enough to have many people running for the hills, it's actually no bad thing if you can find the right bands to listen to. The Zero Point Field are a great example of pulling pieces together to build a style and attitude of their own. They may be based in London, but the members originate from a variety of other European countries, just as their music originates from an incredibly varied mix of influences. They cite classic rock, psychedelic jazz, prog, '70s funk, '80s fusion... and that's just for starters.

The most intriguing part about the band is in the subject matter they deal with. There are no vocals as such, just samples, but they certainly deal with the bigger picture. The Zero Point Field itself is, to put it very briefly, the idea that the universe consists of a single mass of invisible energy and vibration that connects and builds everything, from buildings to thoughts and beyond. They deal with this on 'The Chariot Of Flowers', which mixes a little Stevie Wonder funk with mysterious synths and then sprawling guitar breaks, all accompanied by samples of a woman describing the concept. Each track has its own artwork too, and this one shows a picture of fractals - a mathematical phenomenon which is found throughout the universe.

They come closest to heavy rock is on 'The Great Year' (presumably named after the roughly 26,000 year cycle of the equinoxes) where guitar is laid on heavy and we're within touching distance of bands such as early Yes or later King Crimson, but with a foot-pump stuck up their backsides. The jittery 'Black Tear' switches from heavy to ambient and is a little more contemporary whilst still drawing on those jazz and funk influences. The funk remains for the weird and wonderful 'Purple Black Hole' too, and The Zero Point Field again show that they're not afraid to put their musical abilities on display, something which often gets criticised in indie circles.

There are plenty of samples and conspiracies going on with 'Moon Eclipse', with even David Icke getting heard, along with others, on this stop-start synth-fusion number. The most sample-based track is epic closer 'Ice Fishing On Ganymede' (Ganymede being the largest of Jupiter's moons and covered with ice, below which is more water than that on Earth and is perhaps the most likely spot to find life outside of this planet - hence the pun of a title). Here we get astronauts talking to each other and talking about space. It's pretty obvious that The Zero Point Field are a group of people who are studying the mysteries of existence and want to know answers. Either that or they spend their spare time watching the same weird YouTube documentaries as me...

Links:
http://thezpf.bandcamp.com/album/the-zero-point-field
http://facebook.com/thezeropointfieldband
http://soundcloud.com/the-zero-point-field