Don’t let anybody tell you that you’re safe

These are they eyes that saw them die

These are the hands that dug their graves

SO DON’T LET ANYBODY TELL YOU THAT YOU’RE SAFE!

Zeal & Ardor-Wake of a Nation

Having covered their output since their debut and being a big fan of Manuel Gagneux’ project, it pains me to say, especially given the noble pretext and occasional momentary flashes of sobering messaging, that this six-song mini release really doesn’t capture the unique sonic pallet that has made Zeal & Ardor such an interesting act to listen to for the past few years in the most flattering light.

The title track is possibly the least egregious of the offenders here, but all the songs here function similarly by taking a little snippet of sound that samples Zeal & Ardor’s broader stylistic range, and drawing it out across these short, but all too minimally composed tracks in such a way that they lose their momentum very quickly, never to regain it until a defibrillation attempt by the next song.

Like I said, I wholeheartedly appreciate, sympathize with, and support what Manuel Gagneux is doing to lend his band’s platform to the addressing of the dire issue of today’s racism through musical means with this project, and when its social motivation is at the forefront, it’s at its most potent, but musically, unfortunately, Wake of a Nation is just desperately underwritten in a way that doesn’t fairly represent how accomplished Zeal & Ardor really are with their sound.

5/10

• Zeal & Ardor •