...it is
the best sounding self-released album I can ever remember hearing."

"Imagine the Chili Peppers trying to write a modern version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" and succeeding. The music kicks ass and they manage to include the words absinthe, carpaccio and escargot in the lyrics."

"Zip Tang's music is always engaging and never "just there" like wallpaper. Luminiferous Ether both feeds a need (one I wasn't even aware I had) and commands respect, always quirky but never condescending, hip, but not shallow. I have to recommend this disc highly."
Tom Karr - Progressive World
Reviews & Comments


ProgressiveEars.com *
"this is something that is
unlike anything out there"

GarageBand.com
comments from listeners
like you around the world
ProgArchives.com *
Zip has been classified
here as Eclectic Prog
ProgressiveWorld.net
Four Stars!
ProGGnosis.com
"an important newcomer
to the progressive scene"
Gibraltar Encyclopedia
of Progressive Rock *

"Luminiferous Ether is incredible"


links with an * open a new window to their site

International Reviews
NEW Prog Rèsiste Belgian Rock Magazine

"a breath of fresh air "

Dutch Progressive Rock Page*
8 out of 10 stars
Progressive Rock  Brazil
"Brilliant and indispensable work,
highly recommendable..."
Babyblaue  Germany
"Simply Lecherous!" 12 out 15
Rock Times * Germany
8 out of 10 stars
Ragazzi E-zine * Germany
"rocks violently"
Musik An Sich * Germany
16 out of 20 - Highly Recommended!
WLUW  Poland
"very mature and interesting"
Progressia * France
"breathing new life...in progressive rock"


REVIEWS of "TOWER OF TUNA" by GARAGEBAND.COM Members.


Space-out!!
This is good - I'm thinking Pink Floyd good, here!
The song has an american, southern-accent sound - but from the early 70s. Original and clever use of synths and samples, and great melody... sounds liek something a jazz keyboardist would write. Very interesting mix of old classic Ray Charles soul with 70 Brit Prog, and maybe... a little Hendrix? This is intense, and very well shaped, and everybody is taking advantage of their own talents. All in their own pocket, not overly self-indulgent, superbly done. Great new version of Progressive rock!
- e. from Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Corrosion meets Sgt Pepper...
The introduction to this song incorporated sparse classic rock lead stylings which could be likened to Jimmy Page and more recently Pepper Keegan. As we progressed through the first verse, the distorted guitar line was perfect in it's tone as well as heavy but not without a sense of groove.
The vocal precision and tone was a perfect accompaniment, sitting nicely in the mix. Again the voice was reminiscent of Johnny Garcia of Kyuss fame with a touch of Pepper Keegan. Grainy and edgy.
Up until the end of the first chorus, it was but a great groove rock tune. But then out of no-where appears a horn/saxophone sections. From this point on, the song takes a dramatically unexpected turn.
The drums explode into a full time assault on the senses. The highlight of the song, which was most unique in it's approach, was the saxophone/lead guitars playing off one another.
Anybody into good rock, and bored of the same old predictable outcomes would enjoy this song. It provides a refreshing change from what has been, yet somehow manages to still be respectful of the rock tradition.
Fantastically new.
- m. from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

me likes
excellent. Love the guitar work. very original. love the horns. again they add originality. guitar tone is excellent. drums sound very raw. vocals are gritty. I think you guys are on to something here. I think you've created your own style. awesome!!!
- m.d from Dallas, Texas

Asuredly Entertaining
Thanks for being different and using your various awesome musicianship's to original means.
I wasn't that stoked about the first minute, but it does serve to set up the tune, so you certainly don't need to take much notice of my opinion... except when I say, the slippery sax/ synth solo rules, the 3:20 break is handled very effectively by whole band, vox harmonies are right-on and that all of this must be even better live.
- p. from Auckland, New Zealand 

Masters
interesting entrance of atonal guitar and beautiful overtones. You recreate sonorous landscapes of a formidable way. Excellent instrumentalist, arrangement is superior in truth, did not hope to find this jewel... Music pleases to me is sensual and later the voices... are good, the singer has a special form to place the voice, he has good technique, so that the overtones of their voice are not listened to tense, that is very gráto as it listens, excellent arrangement as much in music as in the voices. Great work, excellent form to appreciate music.
- L. from México, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Tower of music.
A lot to take in up front. Lots of nice textures. ... The groove for the vocals is solid. Once the vocals start this gets very interesting. The song really takes off with a lot of tasty directions. Love the light hearted lyrics. Wow, this is a fun catagory. Vocals are very good. Guitar is dancing around a solid bass and drums. Not sure what voice your using on the keys/guitar, maybe it's a horn. Can't tell. But it's the bomb. Drums on ending is off the charts. Some of the most interesting stuff I've heard. Are you familiar with I Mother Earth. It's the only thing I can compare this to. Most Excellent.
- t. from St. Petersburg, Florida

I drank what!?
Beautiful pink floyd-esque intro. Good use of effects and texture. Setting us up in a zappa kind of way for should I say...the meat of the song. .... Drums are really well done. haha tower of tuna!? Interplay with the guitar rocks.
- y. from Portland, Oregon

Nice to listen to!
Strong vocals and backing vocals. Like Alice And Chains. Strong overall performance.
I like that the verses and chorus sound simple and in contrast to the instrumental breaks. This makes this song nice to listen to! Great job.
- c. from Breda, Netherlands




REVIEWS of "BETA" by GARAGEBAND.COM Members.

Spanish with a twist!!!
Solid guitar work that brings in the Santana lead work mixed in with a very smooth Jazzy, Bluish, Spanish feel to it! I don't think that I have heard a song like this before! The melody work from either a keyboard or drum beat effect is a very smart idea in keeping this song fresh, especially in the mix in having it fade from the left to the right...Beautifully done! Guitars are solidly mixed in very well in producing a strong sound full of depth and tone! Solid Arrangements! Bassist is a Genuis and that Saxaphone is absoulutely SUPURB!!! 5 STAR RATING!
- fb from North Carolina 

Excellent
This is a catchy tune. The jam was played very tight with the drums and bass playing their role very well. The brass section added a nice touch that established the jazzy mood. As for the effects, great job. To utilize effects well is an art form in itself and you guys did a nice job with that. The different sections of the song were natural considering their variance. The guitar playing was inspiring due to the interetsting choices the player made. They allowed for consistency while travelling through the song. Like a good essay, the song had coherence, with great transitions that were smoothly executed. Great job.

- t. from New Jersey

Really Jam.
I think this is most professional song that I have hear at the garageband.com. The broken rhythm of drums that cover with flight of guitar improvisation sound very interesting. I have listened the song for three times. The rhythm is really catchy.
The guitar is most cool instrument of this song. The fragments from 1.13 to 1.30 and from 4.38 to 5.02. I like the most of all. And of course the sax solo from 2.18 too. The structure of song is very harmonic. The force of energy and slow motion are alternate, attract listener, and do not make him to go mind away. All instruments in right places. I have no any claim.
As to mix: very well balanced. I can hear all of instruments.
In general: Great Job.

Keep rocking guys.

- o.s. from Pavlodar, Kazakhstan

Jazz Inflected Twistedness,Gotta Love It!!
With a slight nod to the English Canterbury style but with far more roughness and grit, these guys can definitely hold your attention, I LOVE the main sax riff, and how the piece goes into this cool film noir/crime jazz sort of thing. Very cool, and some pretty rockin' guitar too!

- t.o.w from Atlanta, Georgia

Great
adorable piece, with entrance jazzy, I really like the sound cool, you you are extraordinary instrumentalist ones. The sounds are perfect; excellent production and the miz is spectacular. Really this piece of progressive rock, so fine and is tecnicamente taken care of that rock could think about jazz cool. Huge teachers of the progressions and the instruments.

- l.m. from Distrito Federal, Mexico

60`s fusion when it works
this is fusion rock santana would love to listen to. for the first time on garageband.com that i get to listent to a almost 6 minnut song that generats into the most perfect kreation, like seening a flower grow "great arangment" perfekt balance i loved all parts

- pw from Copenhagen, Denmark

Intro cool
And then a cool groove, and it is almost jazz. Perhaps more so than progressive rock. Extremely well done movements. Great guitar playing. The horns sound sort of like a Zappa composition. Not entirely contemporary :) OH, nice sax interlude! Obviously by now this is instrumental. I think this would do well in the jazz genre. But I like it here, too. Tight band! Well recorded. Good production, nice panning. Everything seems right where it should be. no extreme panning that is distracting like you hear sometimes. Nice use of space and the song breathes well. Some will probably blast this for being a long jamming kind of song. I will give it points for that! This song kicks ass!

- s. from Iowa City, Iowa

Throw in the towel, there's a lot of beautiful
In this jam. The mix of instruments plentiful. The ambient feel, add the smooth touch of sax, the slick licks of the guitarist, and a spicy drum, and bass line or two... BAM! This is it.
In my book I vote highly for the Coolest (most tubular) chill-out track.

- m.k. from Minneapolis, Minnesota

I'm in the circus
Very Jazzy, much like the norwegian band Jaga Jazzist. Cool horn section, wich gives the song some edge to it. I like the beats your drumme plays, many different comboes in your style of playing. The flowing guitar parts gives the song some 70's influences and you could have thaught to yourself, is this Santana? Great job guys!

- d. from Oslo, Norway

Review

I got a Santana vibe straight off the top of this track. A well produced piece with a god mix. The off tempo drumming is excellent and alongside the solid bass playing keeps the rhythm section moving along. Good pace. Nothing is self indulgent. The guitars are tasteful and not over bearing. The sax is sexy.

- w. from Windsor, Ontario, Canada

funky soundscape rock
cool use of sax in intro and keys ..feels very zappa with the use of guitar and arrangements or something off of a 70's stevie wonder album

D.H from U.K.

Morphine on speed
Tight as can be. Great dynamics. This is going to be brief 'cause there's nothing I complain about.
Thouroughly enjoyable.
Keep it up.

- t.d. from Toronto, Ontario, Canada

exciting
wow! its taste like 70's. very interesting, and i love this. keep going! i will subcribe you.

- m. from Kitashilakawa ,Sakyoq, Kyoto, Japan


Take Five
Off beat jazzy composition with a strong lead guitar 'singing and talking' Sharp performance, very metropolitan, 'city at night' sort of mood.

Great 'Pink Panther' slower section.
This is so interesting to hear and you don't have to wait long for something new to happen - a rhythm change - a new instrument combination. Interesting variety of drumming.

Wow it gets so good after 4 mins with some clever effects that take it to a new classy height.

- k. from undisclosed

Hot Damn!
A really jazzy feel,but more like a modern jazz.Which is definitly not a bad thing. The lead guitarist just has a command to him or her that as u like what could they possibly do next and then ...BAM I get hit with something more fierce then the first,leaving like more!Hit me with some more!Then out what seem like no where the sax reminds how sweet that insturment is suppose to sound. The more i listen to the song(which is alot)The more little thing stick out and make the sound that much more thick..that much more sweet. If music was a flavor, this would defenity be honey.. cuz its just that sweet, im just sitting here listening like wow .. i just cant believe they just did that! Such a flow to it. The way yall play together i would say you guys have been together for years. Cuz with that sound i cant keep my jaw off the floor.Excellent Work!

- b. from nowhere





ProgressiveWorld.net
September 2007

Some band sent me a link to their CD on CD Baby and it's classified as alt/prog. I listen to a few samples and it sucks. Big surprise yeah? Let me remind you,… I'm a prog snob. I don't like neo-prog or prog-metal, so I'm certainly not going to like alt/prog. I don't even like alternative rock that doesn't have progressive pretensions. Well, now that this is established, I feel much better and I can go on now. For some reason I keep looking at other listings from alt/prog bands and I see this listing for a Chicago band called Zip Tang. That's an amusing name I think, and I click on their disc Luminiferous Ether. I check out the song titles and their lengths. Only nine tunes mostly about six minutes long, here's one that's ten minutes long and………aaahh! I see those six little letters. Take my glasses off and stick my nose real close to the monitor, yes, it does say "Tarkus." I start listening to a few samples and it's good, it's all good, not just "Tarkus," but all of it. Wasting no time, I send them a message, get the disc and… here we are.

I tend to fall head over heels in love with a band every now and then, and I also tend to go a bit far with the hyperbole and usually regret it later. I'm going to try to limit my hyperbolic ranting this time, but if anything I've heard recently deserves to be raved about, it's Zip Tang.

If anything, Zip Tang is a fun band (and the lyrics are occasionally funny, too) and that is something that is very unusual in the music I listen to. In caps now……FUN! Zip Tang is also cerebral enough to satisfy any real prog fan as well. Their cover of "Tarkus" alone should demonstrate that well enough. Think Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ben Folds meets Echolyn, Izz, King Crimson and Pink Floyd. Vocals are handled by sax/keys player Marcus Padgett (whose voice sounds to me like Echolyn's Ray Watson) with brief appearances from bassist Rick Wolfe and guitarist Perry Merritt. The songs are all group efforts and the musicianship is top notch all throughout the album. Next to Padgett's great sax playing and his all too brief keyboard work, the real musical star of Luminiferous Ether is drummer Fred Faller who plays much like a cross between the Chili Peppers Jack Irons and Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy…. well, what Portnoy would sound like if he could keep his ego under control and if he had any taste (I must mock DT and Portnoy at every opportunity). The liner notes say the disc was recorded at ZT (Zip Tang?) Studios which is probably one of the band members garage, yet it is the best sounding self-released album I can ever remember hearing. If they told me that this was recorded at the Record Plant or Electric Ladyland studios with Jack Douglas behind the board I would totally believe it. Suffice it to say the sound is incredibly good. The lyrics are clever and well written and some show a healthy concern for food and drink. If you (like me) spend a lot of time listening to bands whose lyrics delve into karma, life before, during and after death, ragging about religion and exploring the various adventures of Orpheous, Salmacis or Odysseus you might even find them a refreshing change of pace.

The disc opens with the wonderful "Tower Of Tuna", Zip Tang's ode to the cocktail and finger food crowd. Imagine the Chili Peppers trying to write a modern version of "21st Century Schizoid Man" and succeeding. The music kicks ass and they manage to include the words absinthe, carpaccio and escartgo in the lyrics. It's only the first track and I'm already surprised and delighted.

Next comes "Missed The Beginning." More Chili Peppers meets early Crimson stuff. I'm still being entertained though. The lyrics are pretty much standard Jack Ass generation, slacker stuff, but I can still relate to it. I love the chorus,…"I missed the beginning, I slept through the middle, I wasted the ending, Don't tell me it's over." I've done that a few times.

Track three is "Nothing Here" which reminds me of Izz in their full Ben Folds mode. I've already accepted the reality that this sort of thing is prog and as such I even like this kind of thing now. More slacker lyrics and another great cutting chorus which really speaks to me,…. "There's nothing here, And you're just here, Cause there's nothing there, Or worse than nothing." I've been "there" a few times, too. "Nothing Here" also has a gorgeous acoustic guitar and string synth intro that really sets the mood for this tune quite well. It's all good so far.

The next track "Doctor Plush" gets to more traditional prog territory with its ten minute span, multi-part, suite type construction, great harmony vocals and a few clear references to Pink Floyd. You get a lot of very cool Rick Wright type swirling and spacey keyboards, the Roger Waters "am I crazy?" type lyrics and a long center section with wailing sax that will remind anyone of Dark Side Of The Moon. I'm liking this even more now.

Now we have "Like We Did Before" which is the first thing on this disc that strikes me as filler both musically and lyrically. Filler, and I have nothing to say about filler, next………

Ah yes, next is "Beta," sounding like a cross between the Dave Brubeck Quartet and very early King Crimson. Lots of Crimson influence from this band. Real good sax and guitar interplay on this nearly six minute instrumental. Nice, but very short synth solo, too. The synth voice reminds me of Joe Zawinale. It's all back on the right path now. Uh Oh, track seven is "Searching For Treasure." I don't see any treasure here, but I do hear more filler. Next………..

"With A Twist" takes us back to the Chili Peppers sound without any KC influence to balance it all out and this tune is full on alternative with no prog side whatsoever. I still like it though. Good vocals, nice little synth flute line and a center section that breaks down with a bluesy tempo and feel. It also has some good slide guitar here and there. Not exactly my cup of tea but it's not filler either.

Zip Tang dispenses their best and most proggish material early on and tries to slip in some less than inspired work later on when they figure they've got you hooked but it's not fooling me. They better do something amazing to finish this disc out and the final track does just that in spades.

Luminiferous Ether saves their most proggy and most musically impressive work till the end with a full on eighteen minute rendition of "Tarkus." I've described most of Zip Tang's tunes as some sort of Chili Peppers/ King Crimson blend so telling you that they are now performing a pretty faithful version of ELP's massive "Tarkus" may seem like the band is ending with a sudden left turn. Maybe, but not after you've heard the whole disc a few times. This just takes everything Zip Tang has done up till now and expands it to its logical extremes. They break down Emerson's keyboard work with Perry Merritt playing mostly the left hand keys parts on guitar while Marcus Padgett handles the right hand part with all of its melodic and thematic focus on the sax. Padgett also fills out whatever else seems necessary on keyboards using his best B-3 voice. The biggest surprise (for me anyway) is just how good and satisfying this cover of "Tarkus" is. Like I said earlier, I tend to fall in love with a band and go all googly over them, and (at least for now) I'd rather hear this version of "Tarkus" than ELP's version (forgive me) or any of the other covers of "Tarkus" that I have treasured up till now. The only complaint I can even make about this version is that I would have preferred that Padgett had sung this tune. The vocals by bassist Rick Wolfe are fine but after getting used to Padgett's voice over the course of this disc I think he could have done a better job of it. No offense to the other singing band members, but Zip Tang can only have one "best" singer and that is clearly Padgett. Of course, Padgett has to play a lot of complex sax lines and when he's not doing that he has to fill in the gaps on keyboards and expecting him to sing as well would make it impossible for him to pull it all off live, but nevertheless….. I would be remiss to leave out the fact that everyone has their hands full on this excellent piece of work, and that Wolfe's bass playing is dead on and Fred Faller's drumming is exceptional here.

All in all, I really like this disc, much more than I would ever have guessed. It took me a dozen spins before I felt qualified to say anything reasonably intelligent (I hope) about it since alt/prog is way, way outside my usual little world of prog music.

Zip Tang's music is always engaging and never "just there" like wallpaper. Luminiferous Ether both feeds a need (one I wasn't even aware I had) and commands respect, always quirky but never condescending, hip, but not shallow. I have to recommend this disc highly. No album is perfect and this disc is no exception. The presence of a couple of less than inspired cuts along side of so many unique and memorable performances prevents me from giving Zip Tang the highest marks that my first listen led me to believe was warranted, but after listening to this debut a good many times I think my current opinion is valid and not fueled by any passing fancy. Maybe it will just be a short term obsession with me, but I hope not.


by Tom Karr



ProGGnosis.com
October 2007

Zip Tang is yet another Chicago area band that is treading new ground. By fusing elements of vintage progressive ie:(King Crimson/Pink Floyd/Camel) with a hint of Frank Zappa's humor, perhaps a bit of the old Canterbury scene, as well as modern rock sounds giving them a hip and modern sound. They consist of a four piece, of bass, guitars, drums and a multi-musician that does saxes, keys and vocals. The band plays a variety of styles as indicated, and more with an attitude of edginess and fun. While the band features a strong musical backing, the songs are vocal based, yet the backdrop of instruments beckons to be heard. Much in the way Zappa's vocals were merely another addition to the instrumentations that were constructed.

The sax of Marcus Padgett plays a prominent role in the band, in a way the older progfans may remember hearing from Ian MaDonald of Crimson, or even with Mel Collins on his contributions to progressive music, and of course Dick Parry's contributions with Pink Floyd. So the sax doesn't flavor the music overtly in a jazzy way, but simply adds a unique voice to the music, making for some memorable moments. Perry Merritt is the bands' guitarist, he has a retro feel about his playing, squarely cut from the hard rock sounds from the golden era, he provides many of the bands moods, with hard rock leanings and melodic sensibilities, the band never strays too far from their harder edged style, but will offer up some moments of mellowness. Merritts is not a fusion or metallized style whatsoever, he will remind you of the days where speed and articulate fretboard navigation were not in vogue for guitarists, but bends, hammer ons and offs, and squeezing a good sustain were important parts of a guitarists repertoire.

Is Zip Tang an important newcomer to the progressive scene? This is a question that many progressive rock fans ponder with many new artists, but in the end, it's always a matter of tastes, and a few matters of fact, one being, is the band doing something new? The answer here is, yes. Zip Tang is doing something new, by having an ear for the past and an eye on the modern attitudes of alternative music. They have managed to be both accessible and radio unfriendly, while most of the reflective glances in the sake of referencing the band's roots for inspiration are that of older bands, they certainly do not sound like a retro band whatsoever, they are very contemporary sounding. And are only bringing elements and hints of the retro vibe into their sound.

It would be hard not to mention the band's rendition of the progressive rock classic Tarkus, originally done by the iconic trio of ELP, one would assume that the band possesses a over the top keyboardist to attempt such a tune, yet it is the saxes and guitars that do make the music go here, mimicking the essences of Emerson's wizardry. It's over 18 minutes long so no shortcuts were taken here, I like it for the the band's obvious dedication to the details of the original, yet I guess I will always like the original better, but the band do a fantastic job of recreating each and every aspect of the song.

Thanks to the MySpace revolution, you can go to the bands site there and check them out for yourselves to see if they are your thing. I can say that this cd is a good debut for a creative new band, everything was done professionally, from the great artwork, packaging, sound quality, songwriting, etc. The bands serves as a prime example of how to get things right for a proper self release. Good band, very sincere sounding and unique, hope to hear more things from them in the future.

MJ Brady




International Reviews



The Missing Piece - Sweden
New American progband that often come close to Echolyn in their inventive prog. Other artists that spring to mind is Zappa, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, ELP and Yes. A daring mix, no doubt, and completely irresistable. And of course the musicians are top notch! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED




Progressive Rock Brazil
Zip Tang
are a four-piece band from Chicago. According some comments around the music world press, they prefers to play something from the classic influences, the nice modern art and the bit of indispensable jam and "new music" - in a manner that, currently, gets optimistic praises, plus in a musical attractive emphaty that can score, further on, more and more important progressive qualities.

Zip Tang knows how to paint a delightful instrumental production, rick and stuffed with a lot of influences from the '70s, a band that consists of the standard Progressive lineup, using classical instruments as keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums, bringing together, good moments that echo some irreverence of "Frank Zappa", adding the signature sound of "Van der Graaf Generator" and "King Crimson" with symphonic tendencies of "Yes", completing with some ingredients of the Progressive Hard Rock from "Wishbone Ash". Zip Tang features talented musicians, playing very good Progressive Rock style, with amazing instrumental arrangements, which consist of very tasteful solos of guitar, while the keyboards add a touch of symphonism, bass and drums develop some very cool rhythm sections with lush vocals, but one of the big surprise is, the highlighted saxophone section that create a strong feeling in the musical arrangements.

"
Luminiferous Ether" is a very diverse album, full of great songs and surprises, starting with the track "Tower Of Tuna", a song developed into Zappa's style. "Missed The Beginning" and "Nothing Here" are a powerful Hard Rock songs, where the guitars and drums are very strong and have a perfect balance. "Doctor Plush", "Like We Did Before" and "Searching For Treasure" are a Progressive Rock tracks that sounds very impressive, melodic, heavy and symphonic. "Beta"contains some interesting Jazz Fusion elements where sax, keyboards and guitar display interesting musical textures.  "With A Twist" blends Jazz Fusion with hard rock elements. The album ends powerfully with a stronger version of "Tarkus (E.L&P.)" which is very well played, featuring a strong musical signature, especially developed in the style of Zip Tang.

"
Luminiferous Ether" album was released in 2007, including nine tracks and 64:14min of a pure musical emotions. Engineered by Perry Merritt, recorded at ZT Studios - Park Ridge, IL. The musicians on the band are: Marcus Padgett - Keyboards, Sax and Vocals, Perry Merritt - Guitars and Vocals, Rick Wolf - Bass and Vocals and Fred Faller - Drums and Percussion. Brilliant and indispensable work, highly recommendable... 

by Carlos Vaz

top


Babyblaue-Seiten.de - Germany  
(poor but amusing translation from the web)
Lecherous!  Very simply lecherous Zip seaweed Debut-album Luminiferous Ether is.  Begun in the distressing cover, over the dry Instrumentierung, that loosely lectured pieces and the official production and to end brought with the "absurd" cover-version of Tarkus - all simply lecherous! 

Zip seaweed, that is is JamRock, that zappaesker Nonsens and late-crimsoides Selbstbewusstein.  That is is is funky, that jazzig, that fart dry and that is of the Sax dominated...  Would become someone so a disk describe to me, would enjoy is I it with caution, but Zip seaweed simply lecherous, said I that already? 

Over a year worked the volumes at this disk, hears that one.  Everything is reasoned, each piece is offered in professional perfect ions, suffocates on however not überprofessioneller earnestness.  Lockerheit is must be trump, joke and transfers itself like obviously to the listener.  Are there any objections?  To the need the schmalspurige song of Marcus Padgett, I almost would like to mean however, so must be that.  Perhaps the few Keyboardpassagen are sometimes a little to "artificial" Synthie-moderate.  Alas watts, it are only a couple...  Did not should the Sax irritate me?  No - here, datt must not so!  Must the occasional Bratz-passages of the guitar be then?  Unconditionally, but why did one not should himself over so something ereifern? 

Does and in the end the cover expelled explicitly as bonus-piece by Tarkus come asks has itself, and one inevitable; "what that then on the disk to seek?".  Nothing!  Very simply nothing.  Except the fact that it is yet once entirely interesting to get lectured the straying Keyboardeskapaden of a Keith Emerson mainly through Sax.  Otherwise Zips prove seaweed, that it also so what highly professional and few processed manage...  A long end-Gag. 

Zip seaweed a loose contribution is arrive with Luminiferous Ether at the subject "entertaining Mucke with kernel" and because it is so cool, find I it simply lecherous! 

by Fix Sadler
original German text



MLWZ Radio - Poland
Zip Tang is a band from Chicago. They’ve recently released their debut album entitled Luminiferous Ether. When I got my hands on this CD, I became really intrigued at my first glance of the cover. Well, the tracklist is composed of 7 tracks, most lasting 5-6 minutes, a 10-minute one and one 18-minute suite at the very end, entitled… Tarkus. Yes, there’s no mistake here. It’s the same ELP’s Tarkus, which was shortened by Zip Tang to slightly less than the 20-minute original composition. And I have to say that although the Zip Tang’s rendition differs a little bit from the original, it is still a really successful culmination of the album. The preceding 45 minutes of Zip Tang’s own compositions also make a very good impression. At the same time, the music sounds very original, because the band often goes beyond the most explored areas of progressive rock: they particularly sound like Frank Zappa, and jazzy King Crimson – generally speaking, jazz rock climates, which are not always easy in reception, but sound very mature and interesting

A vocalist (and at the same time a saxophone and keyboards player) Marcus Padgett sounds like a cross between Ray Watson from Echolyn and the late Layne Staley from Alice In Chains. Instrumentally speaking, in Zip Tang’s music you can hear not only Zappa but also echoes of the style of Red Hot Chili Peppers, King Crimson (intensive sax parts), Uriah Heep (just listen to the effective Hammond in Doctor Plush, in my opinion the most interesting recording on the album) or even early Pink Floyd. However you can’t say that Zip Tang plays exactly like any of the popular progressive bands. This American quartet draws on different sources and all those well-known musical themes are only ways that they use to achieve the aim to form their own, original and indeed interestingly played music.

Artur Chachlowski
original Polish text




Buy the CD