Contact — Zero Moment

Synthy space dwellers, Contact, are back with their sophomore effort, Zero Moment. Following up their regarded debut EP, First Contact, is no easy task, but, thankfully, A.E. Paterra and Paul Lawler are well seasoned and handle themselves accordingly. Although not too far sonically from their first outing, Zero Moment still shows that well played and well written songs are the bedrock for music. This may not be the album you get drunk and rope all your friends into listening to, but it's very solid. And, hey, if you have to rope your friends into anything, are they really your friends to begin with?

Opening with the title track, Zero Moment rocks forth with a synthy prog wave of propulsive drums, high reaching guitars, and lush, evocative synthesizers. Utilizing slower, well thought out respites, Contact establishes an excellent base for which to bring their fun, spacey rock to the fore. Slower and arpeggio laden, "Grand Detector" helps to broaden the scope of the album. Hearkening back to space disco albums like Space's Magic Fly, Whether you're on a light up dance floor on a night flight to Venus or just grooving in your kitchen, Contact has enough disco dexterity to keep you moving. Playing as an ode to the stars streaming by the window of the bridge, "Serenad" uses thoughtful, almost wistful synth notes to craft a soft, slow serenade to the heavens. Restrained, well timed drums keep this sonic poem from getting too lofty and away from itself. The low, throbbing backdrop to "Sensorium" keeps Zero Moment moving along while adding another dimension to Contact's synthy space rock. Playing off of this pulsating fabric, bright mids and highs add a soundtrack-like seriousness while not overshadowing the low basis. Sounding like a mix of "Zero Moment" and "Grand Detector," rock meets space disco on "Modal Force." While not as active as previous tracks, "Modal Force"sticks out due to its spot before the soft, almost smooth jazz, slow burner "Dawn Star." On the surface, "Dawn Star" seems to be the odd man out on this album, but it's space disco through and through. Filtered, almost muted notes bring this space cruise almost to a close before "Dao Valis" hits the listener with its end credits-esque structure. Sideways drums and slowly percolating synths add body to this very solid finish to Zero Moment.

A. E. Paterra and Paul Lawler follow up their debut with a well constructed, well played slice of space rock. Continuing First Contact in a familiar path, Zero Moment is placed as expected on Contact's trajectory. However, just because it's familiar and expected doesn't mean that it's uninteresting or trite. A solid sophomore effort from a solid rock duo, Zero Moment is well worth checking out.