It’s maybe safe to say that The Zodiac, the second album from avant-garde/noise artist Those Darn Gnomes, is not an album that will appeal to the mainstream crowd. Best described as an album that is a more ‘acquired’ listen, it is essentially a collective of sounds and noise – yet somehow it works to an extent.
At times, it’s headache-inducing. At other times it will leave you scratching your head about where exactly the track is going. Yet amidst all the chaos, there is a structure to all the madness and a particularly good element of the album is the versatile vocals showcased within the tracks. The yelled and bellowed deliveries slot in very well to The Zodiac‘s general approach and the falsetto-style ones in the end of Seinfield are stunning to say the least.
In all honesty, it’s a little difficult to know exactly what to say about the album due to it being so unique. Those Darn Gnomes are adventurous with their approach – the flute is a particularly interesting element of their sound – but there is also times where you wish there would be just a little bit more melody to give your ears a rest from the noisy assault!
6/10
