CD Review: Six Times Zero - Stuffed Animals Never Think Of Suicide

Written by Petra Whiteley Tuesday, 24 May 2011 16:03

Artist: Six Times Zero
Title: Stuffed Animals Never Think Of Suicide
Genre: Electro-Wave / Indie
Release Date: 27th May 2011
Label: Echozone

Album Review

SIX TIMES ZERO comprises of Kowa and Thomskin who took nine years to compose the material for ‘Stuffed Animals Never Think Of Suicide’ and less than a week to record it in a studio. Their work sounds as a photo of organised chaos - this feeling one gets is due mostly to the song structures which are seemingly deconstructed, but they are still strongly there and what is there to deconstruct and denude it works more as additions than anything else, and yet you feel the attempt to experiment and change and reshuffle the order of things lingering there. It professes to be contradicting as already suggested by the album’s title and even band’s moniker  (six times zero is after all a zero, a number that balances all the others by its non-existent existence), yet the challenge it puts you in is not kicking you out of any comfort zone.  Maybe result of mixing several styles that can be perceived as... contradictions but come out non-abrasive, non-confrontational to each other.

Nevertheless it’s pleasant, but pleasant without the edges, highs and abysses. There are some great touches as an atmospheric sample voice in Girl Friday, song as wonderful as Dark-Stained Sun, a wistful cinematic piece, greatly sung with a great piano effect of the keyboards, the mood enhancing percussions in the second half come out great, it has a layered feel and is superbly enjoyable. It truly stands out as the best moment of the album.  Lyrically it’s interesting to listen to also, though you don’t get a feel that what they sing about is not drawn out from life or felt strongly about. It’s just like watching a puppet show, or it’s just very reserved to push deeper. The ending ‘Evil Sibling’ picks up on some intensity and the sound has something of French street music. The middle of the song turns into experimental sheen with mechanized vocals becoming part of the instrumentation, altogether creating an interesting and distinctive song.

An enjoyable album, however the impression on me is bit too lukewarm to get enthusiastic about it. Somehow I feel that the music tried to reach me, the listener, but never really could. Maybe like a brief encounter with someone you never get to really know because you spent time exchanging niceties but not shown anything of your real self. It’s like a dream you won’t remember when you wake up, however a dream, that’s let you pleasantly relax.


Tracklist

01. The Shepherd – 5.32
02. Girl Friday – 4.31
03. Ghostlight – 6.35
04. Dark-Stained Sun – 6.11
05. Dark Nila. The Black Swan – 2.10
06. Fast Rewind – 5.41
07. Dead Duck – 5.54
08. Burning The Black Hills – 5.15
09. Evil Sibling – 10.14


Line-up

Kowa -programming, keyboards
Thomskin - strings and vocals


Websites

http://www.sixtimeszero.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/pages/Six-Times-Zero/142960302393508


Cover Picture




Rating

Music: 7
Sound: 8
Total: 7.5 / 10