Venangago-go

By Chuck LeGros

During the 1989 political collapse of the Polish United Worker’s Party and the rest of Communist East Europe, the brutal, gun wielding police force known as “Zomo” was infamous for crushing  the advancements of Polish civil rights from behind their metal and glass riot shields. Working ruthlessly to stem any question brought against the Communist regime, Zomo operated, completely unfettered, for nearly 40 years. I suppose, realistically, I’m one of the few nerds who actually reads the Wikipedia articles about things like this (building up the Jeopardy arsenal), but the question remains, how does one get from putting down insurrections to picking up guitars?

There’s a discernable progression through For the Muses. It begins with an embrace of a new, fresh sound -- something best described as an electronic punk.  Recorded in early 2003, Zomo’s For the Muses opens with the hypnotic, yet furious, guitar and percussion of “I Am a Rock.”  Justin Hoenke’s voice has a breathy, abstemious breed of singing, that, at times, seems to disappear in the mix. The sounds all have the potential to achieve an enveloping musical texture, but they instead appear out of focused and murkily layered on top of each other. The drums and guitar take turns drowning Hoenke’s voice, robbing it of the chance to shine in its song.  Even with those drawbacks though, “I Am a Rock” immediately sets the mood for the rest of the album—simple, no-nonsense instrumentation reinforced by distant vocals.

There seems to be seeds from a different genus of plant buried deep inside of the minds of Justin Hoenke and Dustin Miller. In “Breakdown,” the third song on the album, Zomo is reaching for a distinct sound but with uncertainty methods.  The more I listen, the more the layered approach of sound becomes evident. There is something tangible here, something outside of the restrained, pseudo-Nu Gaze that flavors the majority of their sound.

This is audible in “Window” with a more monotone, Interpol-ish sound in Hoenke’s voice. The instrumentation in the song envelopes a multitude of well crafted sounds which keeps ones attention and supports the lyrics. It is the first song on the album that moves. The test, of course, is to see if they can stick in this new comfort zone long enough for it to count.

We check back in several tracks later with “All That I Want is you.” The beginning—so far, so good and, overall, Hoenke is clearly manipulating his voice well.  It’s certainly a step in the right direction. There is still, at this point in Zomo’s life, a roughness that runs around Zomo’s edges, and much fine tuning must be had but the fact that there is something to fine tune at all is excellent. In fact, viewed with seven years of hindsight, For the Muses seems like less of an official album and more of an experiment, a conglomeration of varied songs with weak threads connecting them. Though there are those which stand bolder and tighter than the rest.  But there is a reaching, a forward motion, a movement toward musical progress.

Next stop, four years later (2007). Zomo has come out with Triangle of Drunk. Starting out with an oddly named four and a half minute long ditty—“This Is My Life in An A-Frame House.” Zomo decided to go the electronic root… to the umpteenth degree. They are somewhere in between Animal Collective and Of Montreal. Hoenke’s monotone persists with hard hitting guitar and percussion. It has potential, but ends up getting lost in its own orbit and flowing, seemingly forever, into a cycle of beats and lyrics. Towards their credit, Zomo clearly grew up since they’re 2003 debut, but they’re by no means finished. If anything 2003, finds them in the middle of an awkward teenage stage where the realization of life’s hardships is hitting them in the face.

“Black Little Face”(Number Four on the album) is an odd little piece, to say the least, but oddly satisfying. They’re beginning to settle into a sound with this track, even though it is significantly slower than the rest of the album. 

In the end, Triangle of Drunk is much like For the Muses in its continued experimentation. However, it shows distinct progress in overall feel and exudes a greater confidence and comfort which only adds to the experience. Zomo is still in a sometimes awkward area of self exploration, albeit one which can and does create distinctly flavorful, unique, and enjoyable music. Zomo is certainly worth keeping an eye on, though that eye at times must be patient. With enough consideration, it would only make sense that Zomo finds itself in its own finely tuned and ruggedly idiosyncratic world of energetic music.  

Purchase For The Muses and Triangle of Drunk at CDBaby 

Friend Zomo at MySpace

Listen to Zomo at Reverbnation

Originally, this started out as a review of Newmen’s album New Low. It was expanded, cut, and then put on hold.  And then, word came out – Friday, January 15, 2010 is the band’s last performance. And that really took the wind out of the review. So consider this, instead, an appreciation.

For the past couple of years, Newmen has brought the unexpected and the rare to Northwestern Pennsylvania – well-crafted pop music: not bar covers, and even breaking away from the fine original roots rock scene that has been developing here. Newmen has a sound. A good sound. The kind of sound that could explode out of the valleys of Pennsylvania that they reference so often in their work and appeal to a larger audience. And now, it comes to an end.

Newmen’s music has always showcased Jessie Proper’s gifts for lyrics.  While uptempo numbers like New Low’s “Pavement” with it’s tale of motorcycle riding while a loved one holds tight seems light and lovely, it’s almost fairy tale like in it’s hidden elements of danger, or at least wistfulness. “Maybe some unseen adventure waited there for us / but at the point of no return / we turned around” . It’s hard not to think of Newmen as a relationship oriented band.  In almost every song – the redemption is to be found not in oneself or one’s beliefs, but in the people (or person) that one loves. It is, as I’ve always felt Newmen’s work to be, undeniable hopefully in the end – just the way a good lo-fi pop song should be.

Selfishly, I’m upset. I had planned on asking them to play my daughter’s graduation party. But beyond that, it strikes me as another not too promising omen for the area – the closing of Brother Bean meant no more traveling national acts, and now another band calls it a day, admittedly leaving behind a beautiful discography and an inspiration to others.

Newmen plays their final show at Titusville’s Blue Canoe Brewery (113 S. Franklin Street (814) 827-7181)  from 8-10 pm Friday, January 15, 2010.

You can purchase their music at www.etsy.com/shop/newmen. Preview their music at http://www.myspace.com/newmenbandpa