Send "Zach Hill " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Throughout his career, drummer Zach Hill has been especially prolific: in the sheer number of his collaborations (Hella, Marnie Stern, Prefuse 73, Wavves, etc.), in the size of his extended discography, and in the ferocious style with which he assaults his drums. All this constant action has understandably led to moments of both brilliance and self-indulgence. Hill's 2008 solo debut, Astrological Straits, was an impressive but exhausting affair, filled beyond the brim with non-stop, torrential drumming. On Face Tat, however, Hill puts as much focus on his oddball, malformed songs as on his world-class musicianship, resulting in an album that feels more compact, slightly less metallic, and altogether more fun.When you've recorded and toured with as many different musicians as Hill has, you can assemble a pretty talented roster of guests. Face Tat features contributions from Devendra Banhart, Guillermo Scott Herren (Prefuse 73) and members of No Age, Hella, and Deerhoof. There's such a rotation of guests, in fact, that it hardly resembles a solo project at all. Yet each of these songs is shot through with Hill's distinctive personality and the restless, athletic agility of his drumming, forming a cohesive whole despite the music's frequent hairpin turns and switchbacks. About the last thing any Hill song would seem to need is more drums, but that is exactly what the opening "Memo to the Man" delivers, as Hill is joined on percussion by Deerhoof's Greg Saunier. Though that might conjure images of a drum clinic at Guitar Center, the track leaves a refreshingly light footprint by emphasizing its squiggly melodic instrumental hooks over what is, by any standard, some pretty fine drumming. Several other tracks here, such as the frantic "House of Hits" or "Burner in the Video", sport memorable but similarly off-kilter hooks, alternately calling to mind the work of Liars, Battles, or vintage Brainiac. The album's slightly disorienting effect is due in part to its construction, which according to Hill began with sound sources that included smashing computer screens, street-level field recordings, and peeing on a stack of Rolling Stone magazines. Though it would be tricky to pinpoint any of those exact sounds, such techniques do help explain why so many sounds on Face Tat are difficult to identify. This is particularly the case on "Ex-Ravers" and "Jackers", two tracks that are such mosaics of disconnected noises and shifting perspectives that they can appear to get lost in their own haphazard circuitry....full text |
| Fusion45 |
| New solo album from this tentacle-armed Hella drummer and prolific indie sideman. Features contributions from No Age, Devendra Banhart, Prefuse 73′s Guillermo Scott Herren, Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, and Hella partner Carson McWhirter, among others....full text |
| Music.is-amazing |
| Zach Hill has announced an October 19th release for his second solo album, "Face Tat" via Sargent House. The 13-track disc features an impressive list of contributors, including Devendra Banhart, No Age (Dean Spunt and Randy Randall), Guillermo Scott Herren (Prefuse 73), Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Carson McWhirter (Hella), Nick Reinhart (Tera Melos, Bygones) and Robby Moncrieff (Raleigh Moncrieff). Zach Hill explains the origins of Face Tat: "This record was titled prior to any of its music being made, based on an article I had read about people with facial tattoos potentially having a higher suicide rate than those without. I have friends with facial tattoos who are some of the most positive people I know, and have friends & family without facial tattoos that have taken their own lives within this past year. I found that idea very interesting and metaphorical on many levels -- whether true or not -- and began using my personal thoughts on this as a muse/concept that could be applied to many different contexts. Musically, socially, politically, the Internet, whatever else... generally the idea/concept of 'platforms'. "These thoughts were just a starting point and motivation for me though. The music itself is of course the focal point. This started from myself and friends making the kind of abrasive/forward music in 'pop' form I'd want to hear, but hadn't. There's an emphasis on experimenting with 'destroying' sounds so that the source of the melody, rhythms, vocals, etc., is not recognizable or traceable, and then building these things into abstract forms of pop music with conventional structures. Some of the most melodic aspects to this recording are coming from things like the sound of pissing/urinating on a stack of Rolling Stone magazines (I have a subscription), kicking in the screen of a computer, arguments on the street, etc. "Lyrically, many of the songs started from me writing down a lot of out-of-context sentences I'd hear in passing or from personal exchanges that I found really visual, stimulating or to which I felt a connection. So, I wrote stories out of things I'd gathered -- in line at the store, in a dream, visiting family in jail, after a show, on a plane, talking with the homeless, etc. -- and formed them into songs and shaped them into subjects that I relate to. I like the idea of making these very real but obscure moments that are otherwise unknown or gone forever into their own weird little worlds. So, I'm very stoked about this record & I'm very excited for other people to hear it and as always I hope that people will gain something positive from it."...full text |
Zach Hill lyrics
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