Zach Hill
Face Tat

THE REVIEW

In Zach Hill's solo debut, there's everything you would expect from an eccentric musician. For those unfamiliar with him, Zach is to drums what Quentin Tarantino is to cinema. He's a power hitter who literally gives blood for and on his instrument, and this project is proof of that. However, his drumming isn't just about speed or technique; it's more of a stylistic quest, made of complex rhythmic embroideries that sometimes reach the limits of physics beyond which there's only abstraction.

In this work, we find all the elements dear to the drummer, starting from the noise-core framework of Hella, from which his music career took off ten years ago. Zach, as hyperactive as his playing style, hasn't stood still for a moment, collaborating with a myriad of musicians (Bygones, Wavves, Marnie Stern, Chll Pll to name a few…). The album features collaborations with various friends: Devendra Banhart, Guillermo Scott Herren (Prefuse 73), No Age, Hella, and Deerhoof. The result is surprising. “Face Tat” is varied and creative; moreover, it proves to be very catchy as the listens increase.
Under a lo-fi haze, an unsettling and bizarre electronic soundscape sets the scene for the stage designs raised by Zach's rhythms. We soon find ourselves lost in a maze of breaks and fades, of frenetic offbeats between flashes of pure melody and hardcore spasms. Here and there, we recognize the Deerhoof touch (“Green Bricks”, “Burner in the Video”) and No Age's influence (“House of Hits”). While we find the artist's more turbulent spirit in the chaotic punk of “The Sacto Smile” and the heavy episode “Total Recall,” it's the more experimental songs that amuse and amaze: “Memo to the Man,” where it seems you hear the Yeasayer, the funky jungle of “The Primitives Talk” and the drum’n’ bass “Gross Sales.” Finally, in the art-rock ride à la Ponytail that gives the album its title, Zach showcases all his skill.

In conclusion, “Face Tat” is a pleasant and entertaining album to discover, where Hill's drumming virtuosity and style seem to have found their own dimension.