BRAVE NEW WORLD

A very good album that features a wide range of instruments and styles. Zyma, a six-piece amalgamation of styles, uses its diversity as its cornerstone. "Brave New World" sounds mainstream soundtrack-meets as yet unheard new wave-meets disco-meets Ruphus (vocals and fiddle and groove very reminiscent). "Sundays" starts with killer dissonance featuring keys, percussion, and trumpet. A superb mood piece riding a wave of jazzed out bliss for six minutes and change. Funk permeates halfway through, sounding like Il Baricentro on "Trusciant". Wordless vocals add to the Canterbury feel. "Lunch Time" is a short piano solo throwaway. "Sunday Fever" starts in grand National Health style, tossing in the funk through the meat of the song. More scat wordless vocals enter the picture. An open groove, plenty of room for the band to stretch out. Very tight. "Transit" is a happy jazzfunk instrumental of the highest caliber. More scat and wordless add color. "Colours" is the longest track on the album, an 8 and a half progressive tour de force for violin. Synths add color and deep funk basslines sink in. Pastoral and majestic. "A nice way to say Hello" seems out of place at the end, but a good happy skipping through the meadow type of song that sounds like it could be from a mid-70's Hal Ashby movie. Light, cheerful, and creative, this recording gets four stars in my collection easy. The Canterbury mixed with jazz fusion mixed with campy soundtrack vocals plus obscurity and a great album cover make for a treasure album in my house.