Search - Zox :: Line in the Sand (Dig)

The great CD Zox's previous efforts only hinted at.

Tony Sclafani | 02/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Excerpts from the Pop Matters Review, Feb. 15, 2008



Here's a quick summation of this review: this is an excellent CD, with songs that sound both memorable and significant, stellar musicianship, and an overall impassioned tone. Everything else that follows is an elaboration on that basic idea.



ZOX is a reggae-influenced indie quartet that's gotten favorable press, but flown mostly under the radar since releasing an ambitious debut CD, Take Me Home, back in 2002. The band followed it up with a relatively more popular effort, The Wait, in 2005 and was eventually picked up by Side One Dummy Records (Flogging Molly and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones). For this new CD, ZOX hooked up with producer John Goodmanson, who's helmed records by Death Cab for Cutie and Sleater-Kinney. The band, formed at Brown University five years ago, is probably best known for having a classically-trained electric violinist, Spencer Swain, in the place where most bands have a lead guitarist.



But there's little in the band's past that could have predicted it would come up with a CD that's as start-to-finish brilliant as Line in the Sand. Here, ZOX moves beyond the basic reggae rhythms of its first album and leaves the hyper-kinetic ska beats that dotted the second effort in the dust. Those elements still lurk in the background of ZOX's sound, but they're now less of a direct influence, and, instead, seamlessly melded into the band's more ambitious rock assault. What ZOX and Goodmanson have done is to open the music up, making it bigger and more spacious. They've also played up the band's 1980s influences, making no bones about wanting to play like its 1983 (a touchstone year for U2 and the Police, two bands ZOX recalls). All four musicians have also become much better players, breezing through rhythmic changes and contrasting dynamic textures with an ease that belies the music's complexity.



Singer-guitarist-lyricist Eli Miller's voice has grown to sound like a more down-to-earth version of Bono. And Goodmanson's production manages to liven up each number without overkill. It's the band's top-flight songwriting, though, that puts the group over the top. Whether writing personal anthems like "Line in the Sand" or tear-jerking ballads like "The Wait (Part II)", Miller sounds like he's firing on all cylinders this time around, filling every verse, chorus and bridge with memorable hooks and lyrics. It helps that Miller has Swain to weave sinewy violin lines around his melodies and guitar work. The innovative combo of Swain fiddling while Miller burns is what pushes ZOX out of the category of revivalists and into the realm of innovators. ZOX's mix of classical and rock elements doesn't push the sonic envelope the way the Velvet Underground did, but the violin does more than just create a droning backdrop, a la Arcade Fire. And bassist Dan Edinberg and drummer (and band namesake) John Zox chime in with their usual flair.



[...]"

A significant step forwards

Howlinw | California, USA | 01/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most bands take a couple of albums to really hit their stride and Zox has been no exception. While the first album was fun and unique, it lacked the sophisticated songwriting that the band brought to bear on the much better second record "The Wait." This one represents a deepening of sound and strengthening of purpose, displaying even stronger songwriting and a new use of interesting post-punk atmospherics. The wider sonic palette is not simply present for the sake of novelty but is truly integral to the overall sound of the record, enhancing the inherent drama of songs such as "Lucky Sometimes" (a realistic and sympathetic portrait of the state of affairs in the world today). The somewhat more political themes that are present on this album are addressed in a personal manner, making them gripping and relatable. The reggae-laced approach that the band focused on in the past is still here - witness the dub-centric "Towards Los Angeles" as the best example. But the addition of a folkier sound on songs like "Goodnight" and "The Wait (Part II)" adds depth and suits the band well. An exciting album, and one that is worthy of much wider recognition!"