Future Memory by Zed comes 24 years after their debut album. A maturity upgrade but the essential hook-laden sounds of Indie Pop remain.
The band came together in Cashmere High School in Christchurch. Ben Campbell bass, Nathan King guitar, trumpet and the distinctive lead singer, Adrian Palmer drums. Andrew Lynch was added later as a second guitarist.
They came under the wings of iconic New Zealand Rock’n’roller Ray She’s a Mod Columbus who signed them to a publishing contract. The Mod Nod’s as good as a wink.
The Silencer debut album was number one in New Zealand in 2000. Follow up This Little Empire was number 3 in 2003.
They stopped the Zed project in 2004. The resurrection was heralded in 2017, when they sang their hit Renegade Fighter in front of a packed Eden Park rugby test match against the British and Irish Lions.
Since then, it has been three years building up to Future Memory, which means taking in some of the viral tyranny of those years.
They built the songs in the studio, with Nic Manders in the producer’s chair to capture the end results.
Future You is Indie Pop like the first album, with a few tweaks. The inventive bass lines stand out, a little like James Jamerson of the Motown Sixties house band. There is a lot of space in the production, for the song to breathe.
The title can’t help reminding me of the Beth’s Future You Hates Future Me. That is Pop Punk which some have given as a descriptor for Zed.
They are more accurately described as blue-eyed Pop Soul.
Meant To Be reveal King as a good tenor in the style of the boy bands. Don’t go throwing away our memory/ Turns out we were meant to be.
Future Memory seems to be a non-sequitur. It may be that we remember from our past lives, and that is how part of the soul operates. Music being a tangible and physical manifestation of Soul.
Eloquently expressed by the Byrds when they recorded Change Is Now in 1968. All is Now/ The time that we have, to live.
There is a peaceful air to this album which may reflect the music of the Byrds and Beach Boys in 1968, when they faced the fierce anger and backlash of the Sixties imploding into violence.
Notorious Byrd Brothers and Wild Honey respectively. The Beatles and Stones hunkered down and donned some armour with Beatles (White Album) and Beggars Banquet.
The Gulag mentality of the lockdowns have ushered in the Chinese curse of interesting times. Music and Art need to counterbalance. The Dada Movement in 1914 (Godfather to the Punks) was a direct reaction to the possibility that humanity was locked into a death grip with the Great War.
So here we are back to the future. Memories.
Never Be Lonely is a highlight. An acoustic guitar on the intro. It’s Folk Pop which becomes an anthem. Where simple hooks work the best. Reminiscent of some of the recent work of Liam Gallagher.
Things are tough. They’re resurrecting Oasis.
Waiting Game is just as good. Smooth sailing Pop with a great rhythm hook. Inspirational lyric, If I want to find the truth/ I can’t lie to myself.
The best blue-eyed Soul number is Face the Rain. It’s a Pop version of the Temptations classic I Wish It Would Rain.
Kings and Queens is as cool and slick as the Pet Shop Boys.
Into the Ocean drops into Folk reverie, before Bonfire winds the inspiration up again.
Begins in similar fashion to Big Country’s Rain Dance. Wide and expansive atmospheric sounds. Bonfires burning out of control. The producer achieves the drum sound of Steve Lillywhite without being overly bombastic.
Embers which conclude the album has been described as a companion piece.
Starts with a mama heartbeat, becomes ambient and disembodied, then breaks into lights and colours that no one knows the name of. A nod to the Notorious Byrd Brothers again.
Future Memory by Zed and the magic obviously never went away.
Rev. Orange Peel