Zephyr Love - Album Review: Homage
If you like your rock retro, California retro with more than
a hint of Boston, you’ll like the debut album from Chris McCollum under the
moniker Zephyr Love, which is out now and will be featured live at the
Anthology Lounge this Saturday night. The album is called Homage and it
certainly is.
Chris is from California but moved out here with his Kiwi bandmates from Austin a few short years ago on a makeshift parachute which billowed up before he was born. Makeshift Parachutes were formed around 2012 but now live in Auckland and Chris McCollum has taken leave to go solo and release some songs as a side project while the rest of the band are in writing mode. But check them out, all long swirling hair and guitars and definitely from a different time. But, back to Zephyr Love…
Don’t Shoot is a disturbingly contemporary title given today’s America, but the opening harmonies over a lightly strummed two chord sequence takes us back to the 1970's before entering stage left comes an equally light handed guitar riff and then…boom….no it’s not a gunshot, more of a Journey like eruption with high chorus and power chords which lands you in Boston and it’s more than just a feeling so I head for my vinyl. (By the way, Boston are still going…)
The title track Homage adds a different dimension to the deference with a chugging opening riff and a touch of English prog from the likes of Alan Parsons and the dual guitars of Wishbone Ash, but without leaving Massachusetts because we are still in Boston.
The Power of Love opens up another top drawer of memories from the Cars to CS&N, to any number of 70's rock bands and it’s such a flood of influences and sounds that all I can do is mutter to myself, delightfully retro, don’t question it, this is music from the soundtrack of your life so just enjoy…..
The barrage of harmony and guitar riff and power chord abates for Marianne, a sweet little softie which adds another signature to the bottom of the page of the books of our lives and adds orchestral cover, before segueing into Dreaming Somewhere. Staying up til four, eating pizza while knowing that this one will not last beyond the dreaming somewhere.
Ah, I thought the Beatles would be in here somewhere, along with CS&N. Crosby Stills Nash and the Beatles would have been something but then again Lennon and Crosby would not have gotten along for long. And that’s just at the start of Love before Crosby wins and the rest of the song cruises into the by now expected big guitar and chorus which takes us back to…
The formula is set but put the history aside and just relish in the sweet singing and song writing of Chris McCollum, who is after all the medium for the reconstruction of all these memories. It is indeed a Story Book and a Sofa Dream and a lie back and play it loud for a just 8 songs experience and I bet they cut loose live…
Check out Homage which was released earlier this month on DRM and come to realise, as I have done, that (Zephyr) Love can win...
About Zephyr Love
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