Zahn Stream Self-Titled Debut LP in Full
Berlin instrumentalists Zahn release their self-titled debut album (review here) this week on Crazysane Records, and of the various outings from the sundry artists one might hear coming from the label, they perhaps best embody a “crazy-sane” ideal. They sound crazy and are, in fact, quite sane. The album begins at a running pace on “Zerrung” — a noise rocking bruiser with airier ambitions in floating guitar — and ends with “Staub” like it’s trying to embody the disjointed nature of something half remembered, and along the way, the core trio of guitarist Felix Gebhard, bassist Chris Breuer and drummer Nic Stockmann follow their whims to the bliss-filled land, voicelessly digging into heavy art rock vibes without the we-went-to-college-for-this posturing that so often accompanies, the sub-two-minute “Schranck” as close to Karma to Burn‘s bullshit-free sensibility (answering back to second cut “Pavian” in that regard) as one might reasonably ask them to come arriving to share midsection placement with the drone–mit–electronica “Gyhum” right before.
These contrasts — and more! — can be yours in some temporary and intangible form as the album is streaming in full here. All things are ephemeral anyway, so you might as well take the ride. And it is one, to be sure. The creepy noise that accompanies the forward
bassline of “Lochsonne Schwarz” and the tweaked-out guitar leads the end of “Aykroyd,” the dreamy atmosphere of “Tseudo” brought to ground through sheer persistence of crash amid hypnotic guitar repetitions. Even at their most ethereal, they are crushers at heart, but as regards first albums and the idea of a band setting themselves up for a sonic progression, the truth of Zahn is that Zahn can go wherever the hell they want from here and you’d have to shrug your shoulders and say, “yeah, makes sense.” Their songs aren’t disorganized any more than they want to be, but they are volatile, and you never quite know when some synth might show up. Or some sax. Or some extra percussion. Or who knows what else. The paths forward are many, and included among them is the refusal to choose a single one. If we were placing bets, that’d be mine.
I won’t be so presumptuous as regards your valuable time as to demand multiple listens outright, but the more you dig into Zahn‘s first full-length, the more you’re likely to find. Given its instrumental nature, it is something you can put on in the background and it won’t try to beat you over the head with hooks or whatever, but if you do that, you’re missing out. I’m not saying you need headphones and a notepad to jot down every chord change or shift in tempo, but the three-piece (and their friends) earn the attention their material warrants.
Please, enjoy. Copious album credits follow the player below:
ORDER LIMITED VINYL AND CD HERE: http://www.crazysanerecords.com/shop
Release Date: August 20, 2021
ZAHN are a new instrumental (noise) rock group consisting of Nic Stockmann (Heads., ex-Eisenvater) Chris Breuer (Heads., ex-The Ocean) and Felix Gebhard (live-Einstürzende Neubauten).
All songs written by ZAHN.
1. Zerrung
2. Pavian
3. Tseudo
4. Gyhum
5. Schranck
6. Lochsonne Schwarz
7. Aykroyd
8. Staub
Electronics on ‘Gyhum‘ and piano on ’Staub’ by Felix Gebhard. Lapsteel Guitar on ‘Tseudo‘ and ‘Aykroyd‘ by Chris Breuer. Additional drums and tambourine on ‘Pavian‘ by Peter Voigtmann. Additional guitars and synthesizers on ‘Pavian’ and ’Staub’ by Fabian Bremer. Additional Guitars on ‘Zerrung’ by Wolfgang Möstl. Synthesizers on ‘Lochsonne Schwarz’ and ‘Tseudo’ by Alexander Hacke. Saxophone on ‘Gyhum‘ and ‘Aykroyd‘ by Sofia Salvo.
Recorded by Peter Voigtmann at Die Mühle Studios in Gyhum, Germany.
Mixed by Dennis Jüngel at Bedroom Eyes Facilities in Berlin-Friedrichshain. Mastered by Philipp Welsing at Original Mastering in Hamburg.
Designed by Fabian Bremer in Leipzig.
Zahn are:
Felix Gebhard: Guitar
Chris Breuer: Bass
Nic Stockmann: Drums
