I’ve been meaning to write this review for a little while, but can never seem to find the words to do it justice. In short, this EP is one of the most fun records I’ve ever heard. After a forum regular originally posted a link to Zolof in the PT forums, I happened to take a look through that day’s mail and discovered ‘The Popsicle EP’ had arrived for review. I put it in the CD player to see what all the fuss is about and it’s hardly left since. Zolof The Rock and Roll Destroyer is not exactly a punk band – they’re more a fun keyboard driven guitar-pop act that sings about pirates and coots, practically making them made for PT users.
The band has been on the go for quite some time now and this EP is their latest record, out on Eyeball Records. The first thing that will hit you is just how good singer Rachel Minton’s voice is, it’s really strong and suits the band perfectly. First track ‘argh…I’m a pirate’ features guest vocals from Kenny of The Starting Line and is 100-seconds of sheer genius. The only thing that is wrong with this song is that it’s too damn short, but what does exist is the cutest pop song you’ll hear all year. Rachel’s vocals are all coy and shy, making lines like ‘you’re so cute and put out too’ sound fantastic and any song that includes the line “let’s turn this room into a pirate ship and plunder each other†deserves five stars. It’s just a pity it is so short, but this song is so good you’ll just stick it on repeat for hours on end anyway.
‘This Was All A Bad Idea’ is more of the same, this time featuring guest vocals from Anthony ex-Saosin singer, who adds an extra dimension to the song. All five songs are huge singalong anthems and even the ballad-esque ‘Popsicle’, which is so sickly sweet it will rot your teeth, has so much power it will burrow inside your brain and make you sing along for days, if not weeks. Seriously, the power this record has is unbelievable, it’s irresistible to fall for its charms. Take the synth on ‘Crazy=cute’ for example, a track as fun as anything HelloGoodbye has done.
In short, if you like melodic music generally this is arguably the best fun you’ll have on a shiny disc all year. Check them out and buy this record – I can see a massive cult following developing as word spreads about them in 2005.
www.zoloftherockandrolldestroyer.com
Eyeball Records
Paul