Group Zero — Structures and Light
Pannned, arpeggiated notes sweep the field and welcome the listener in to Structures and Light. Bright and playful, "The Glaze Over" opens the album with a spritely exuberance that teases the tunes to follow. Group Zero's debut is a nice balance of light and dark, and to complement the light of "Glaze," "The Fantasist" follows with its wavering darkness. With it's mix between almost classical and New Wave synth lines, "The Fantasist" moves forward steadily on a base of low synths driven by a quick and spatial electro beat. Combining the vibes set before it, "The Pummeling Repetition Inside" makes us of both light and dark. The propulsive, low onset eventually gives way to medium highs that lift the song from the murk before coming back down. Drums forward, "Pursuit" makes use of a very New Wave, wistful guitar sound. Synths eventually join in to fill out the mix, and the track fully takes shape. With a title like "I Dream Unwired," one can't help but think that Cathal Cully has been influenced by Gary Numan. Musically, however, this isn't close, and has a dark, dance vibe to it. Plodding and catchy, "Unwired" feels like the stalking music that would play while the Terminator locates his victim (maybe this'll be what's played at Tech Noir if it gets remade). This propulsive percussion also forms the base of "Saturnine Adorations." Less densely packed than the rest, but still full of vigor, "Saturnine" is a pre-dawn dance number ready to get one's hips moving. An airy, ethereal segue follows with "Pyramid of Light" before heading into the College reminiscent "Love and the Present." Sweeping at times, poppy at others, this is a solid, yet confusing number, almost as if a few ideas were thrown together. Brooding like an impending star destroyer attack, "Vernissage" slowly makes its presence known before dropping synth lasers and percussion bombs upon the masses. A windswept beginning leads into the most complex number on the album, "Zero Symphony." The bass guitar is subtle, but adds more to the song than it's presence would let on. Also, "Zero" is crammed full of sci-fi synths and really carries on with "Vernissage's" space attack vibe.
Chock full of synthy goodness, Group Zero's debut, Structures and Light, hearkens back to the pounding electro scores of the 70's and 80's while still retaining fresh, modern sensibilities. With more and more acts going for this "retro" feel, it's getting harder for bands to stick out from the pack. While Structures and Light has some very strong tracks, it's not really enough for it to make its mark and be a leader in the genre.