Zom Zoms
One Brain (2005, Omega Point)

Maybe I have a penchant for alliteration but I can’t help but describe Zom Zoms as zany. Hyper-active synthesizer rock made by guys named Zom/s, bringing out their Devo fetish in a yelp-heavy, angular fashion.

Zoms Frenchman gurgles, yips, and hiccups his way through mazes of compucore rhythms and freaked-out video game tunage. Zom Philmapster and Philip Philmapster add, well, more laser-bleeps and an occasional guitar.

This outfit is very straight-faced, but every note of this album is quite ridiculous, which is why this works. No winks, no retro-chic, nothing but synths and asylum-style singing. It floats a tad outside even the largely acceptant indiestream (and well beyond the ever-ignorant mainstream), but it’s too serious about being madcap Moog rock to be considered a novelty.

-Mark Hughson 7/10/05