Simple Things

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Zero 7's ability to conjure beautiful lullabies with all the romance of 1960s French pop, as found on their debut long-player Simple Things, would have made them the toast of soundtrack composers and chillout connoisseurs the world over. Unfortunately, two French men beat Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker to the title of Masters Of Comedown Cool, leaving the London duo to a life time of being termed the British Air. And justifiably so to some degree; the similarities between Zero 7's lush cinematic soundscapes and those of Air's Moon Safari and The Virgin Suicides Soundtrack are so strong as to sound almost intentional. Nonetheless, their debut is a truly gorgeous album. All the tried and tested atmospheric tricks are in play--bleeps and whooshes layered over plodding Fender Rhodes chords, swathes of strings and tender trumpet parps--but it's Binns & Hardaker's languid grooves and the soft melancholy of their melodies that make dream-state instrumentals "Give It Away" and "Polaris" utterly enchanting. The real power of Simple Things, however, is in its songs. As beautiful as their ambient strains are, it's when laid beneath the seductive vocals of Australian diva Sia on the ethereal "Destiny" or the heart breaking "Distractions" that their potency becomes apparent. With such moving tracks as these, Zero 7 dispel the notion that Simple Things is just another collection of nice background music and that they're just riding on Air's coattails. --Dan Gennoe

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Customer reviews

review by: yelkram date: 2008-08-25 rating:
perfection!
Like all the previous reviews,this album is a classic & one that never gets tired,other albums come & go but this one is here to stay,been a massive fan of zero 7 from the beginning since i first heard the sublime "destiny" on a late night chillout radio show,every track on the album is outstanding,wether it's the beautiful instrumental tracks or the ones with vocals,it's simply a pleasure to listen to time & time again,a true classic! Also check out the brilliant "when it falls" album,another excellent release by the outstanding zero 7...

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review by: date: 2008-08-20 rating:
Simple Things
'Simple Things' is one of those albums that takes a few listens to get a real feel for and then once you do you'll be hooked. Like many reviewers here I came to this album via the songs sung by Sia and I have to say these are some of my favourites. 'Distractions' and 'In The Waiting Line' are probably two of the most well known from this album and some of the strongest individual tracks here. Although where this album excell's is played as a complete piece, the nuanced trip hop style beats and jazzy feel make this an album that truly makes you sit back and relax. It has a great feel to it and the few songs with lyrics stand out against the others to provide musical highlights amidst the sonic landscape this album creates. This is one album that grows on you and improves with each listen and as such I know that I'm in for more great times listening to this CD and recommend you do the same.

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review by: musicjunkie date: 2008-08-11 rating:
Chilled
I bought this album purely for the song "Destiny" which featured the voice of Sia Furler. I bought all of her albums and then realised that she sang for Zero 7 so then i bought their own produce. This album is one of my favourite albums by Zero 7, it's perfect just to play and chill out to.

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review by: Kat date: 2008-06-22 rating:
Almost Perfection.
A must have album. Very close to that elusive thing we call perfection. There are no tracks i feel the need to skip when listening to this album. I will certainly never tire of it and I've already listened to it numerous times. This has so much more to offer than Moon Safari by Air.Just buy it!


review by: http://www.last.fm/user/gregjolliffe/ date: 2007-08-19 rating:
Zero 7 - Simple Things
An Astonishing Debut album. Simple things has won a place in the hearts of many music lovers, not just fans of electronica.
The main strength of Simple Things is that all 12 songs are a product of great songwriting, and are laced with the same soft sugar coated vibe that results in the album being consistently enjoyable throughout - every song on the album is strong enough to hold its own.

A lot of people i know have come to discover this band from the Garden State Soundtrack, and it is fair to say that In the Waiting Line is a fair representation of the Warm, Lush Sound that you will be absorbed into when chilling out to this modern masterpiece. Thoroughly recommended.

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