Album Review: ZOX: Line in the Sand

I’ve decided to start writing reviews. As much as I am a supporter of judging things for yourself, I have a bit of an addiction to reading reviews of things I’m interested in. If I loved a movie, book, or album, I like to read what other people liked about it, and more interestingly, what they didn’t. If a new release has just come out and I have yet to see/buy it, I like to see if it’s worth the cash, even though I’ll probably buy it either way. Maybe it’s just because a professional critic is one of my many dream jobs (Getting paid to read books, watch movies, or play video games? Does life get better than that?), but I like to pretend like my opinion matters. So from now on I’ll have an occasional review of a new release I’ve been anticipating or happened to come across. Today’s subject matter is ZOX’s new album, “Line in the Sand.”
ZOX is a four-man group who emerged out of Providence, Rhode Island in 2002. I think my favorite description of their music is “violin-laced reggae rock”. Their sound is unique, to say the least. Although reggae rock seems to be on the rise in the past decade, few groups have been able to find as perfect a blend of one with the other as ZOX. They know when to head-bang, they know when to lilt like Marley, and their lyrics are catchy as hell. On top of it all, they’ve managed to incorporate the stylings of violinist Spencer Swain so integrally into their work that their form would likely fall apart without him. It’s this fusion of diverse genres: Rock with reggae with classical with the outpourings of a hapless romantic vocalist Eli Miller, which capture a diverse audience for the group.
Now, you all know how I generally feel about romantic music. It’s just a regurgitation of the same old crap that’s been sung for years and years, and because of that, ironically, there’s no heart in it (think Daughtry). But since I discovered ZOX they have been my sole provider of romantic tunes, for two reasons. The first is that there is a sincerity in their music which I believe is unrivaled in modern pop. If you’re not actually head over heels, you as a vocalist have to be a good actor to convey the feeling of your music, and “Line in the Sand” is a prime example of Miller’s acting ability. The second reason is that ZOX’s music, for the most part, is not a lyrical celebration. Without depressing, it is a fitting balance between lovesick and sick of love. The narrator is alone and with a partner at the same time, and he doesn’t quite know how to feel about it.
Now for the album. The opener, and also the album’s name sake, “Line in the Sand”, is a great way to kick off this performance. Generally I dislike when groups use song names as album names, as I believe there is barely ever a case where one song epitomizes the feel of an entire album. That said, the album opener seems to almost be written from the point of view of the band. Kicking it with a funky guitar part and a violin riff that sounds more like a synth than an orchestra instrument, it is a departure from past ZOX. I believe this is more rock and less reggae than we have ever heard on a ZOX album before, and I love it. The chorus chants “This is how I feel/This is where I stand/This is what I can do/ And this is who I am/Now I see my face/Like it was the first time/I don’t know what’s changed/But now it feels like mine”, pointing out how the group’s identity has changed, and you better get used to it. Great song, definite album highlight.
The funk/rock continues into “When the Rain Comes Down Again”. The lyrics are fairly run-of-the-mill ZOX, and very catchy. There’s a bit more of a showcasing of the violin in this one than in the opener, which reminds us of the ZOX we’ve always known and loved. Eventually the song degenerates into a big guitar-violin jam, and we start to hope the rock continues.
Which it doesn’t for a bit. Next up is the album’s first single, “Goodnight”. This, along with “Line in the Sand” and “7th Avenue Prophet” was a song I heard on the band’s myspace prior to getting the album. At that time, I really expected “Goodnight” to be the album closer. It seems to be in the same vein as “Eventually”; sweet and lilting, but still catchy. It probably would’ve made a better closer than “Lucky Sometimes”, but it seems to really flow here as well. Besides, I don’t know where else “Lucky” could go otherwise.
“7th Avenue Prophet” starts off, as Bhuddalicious pointed out to me, with a bit of a Postal Service feel to it. This song is where I began to suspect that the album had a political agenda. By “political agenda” I of course mean the only political agenda in music these days (Save for some SR themes), which is anti-Iraq War propoganda. The song starts “A pair of dog tags you call sympathy/Hung like a cross around your neck/On tired streets you sermon tirelessly”. Okay, so their idea of anti-Iraq War propoganda is talking about anti-Iraq War propoganda? Not too creative, but effective nonetheless. The verses here are a bit flat, but the chorus is everything we come to expect from ZOX. Despite the repetition of the horridly sappy line “You can’t keep on running forever/Love is the only forever”, I can still accept this into the band’s catalogue.
The first time I heard “Toward Los Angeles”, I was a bit confused. The chorus sounds more commercial pop than we’ve ever heard ZOX before. But if there’s one thing this album has taught me, it’s that pop is not a bad genre by necessity. It’s just one that’s been corrupted by the popular music of the day.
With a title like “I Miss You”, I really expected the next song on the album to be an overly sappy piece of crap. You can imagine my delight, then, when it kicked in with an upbeat, rockish verse. The song through and through is just fun, but the chorus is really the highlight of the piece. Continuing “Towards Los Angeles”’s commercial pop sound, the chorus is a heartfelt anthem I’ve had stuck in my head for four days now.
I almost feel like this review is unjustified, I mean, all I’m doing is praising this album. Well, I guess I do have something bad to say about the next song, “Another Attack”. Musically, it’s very good, although a bit off the beaten path for ZOX. Frankly, it’s a bit trippy, incorporating flittering guitar riffs and high-pitch background singing. It’s no big shock that this is the work of another artists, bassist Dan Edinburg, as it sounds so different from Miller’s conventional work. The first time I heard the song, my first thought was Michael Jackson. Fortunately this energetic intro eventually finds a place in ZOX’s heartfelt hapless romanticism, but this is also the song’s major flaw. Continuing the trend of “7th Avenue Prophet”, this song seems to be a direct address of the current world situation. But instead of delving into specifics like the political groups I so idolize, “Another Attack” is lyrically an awkward middle ground between hapless romanticism and an attempt to be politically relevant. A verse goes “Another attack/There was that bombing yesterday/Happened somewhere far away/ Am I fit to complain?/Lovers come and go/But I can’t explain/Why there’s so much pain/All around the world/She’s just another girl/And I survive/Should I be satisfied?” Well-intentioned as they may be, it almost feels like Zox don’t actually know what they’re talking about when it comes to politics.
Next up, “The Wait (Part II)”. It’s pretty weird to make a song which is the sequel to an album, but it’s something I could see myself doing, so I’m not put off by it. The song itself is a solo effort by Miller, who sings a lilting acoustic ballad without the backing of his band. His only accompaniement is a fleeting female background singer who adds a fitting tone of remorse to the song. As far as the subject matter goes, I believe it is about someone waiting for a lover to return from war. I would not believe this if so much of the album weren’t political, but given that it is and that the song is a tale of waiting for someone to return, I can only assume. A nice break from the rampant rock on the album.
I’ve always had a problem with parenthetical titles, so there’s my main issue with “The Same (Doesn’t Feel the Same)”. This may seem hypocritical of me to say after I’ve criticized their political content, but this and “Don’t Believe in Love” seem to not have the sincerity and heart in them that most ZOX songs have. “The Same” is a good rock with uncreative lyrics, and it eventually breaks down into an intriguing guitar-violin duel which is almost analogous to a break dance battle. “Don’t Believe in Love” is a bit more moving, but it lacks the violin kick we come to expect from ZOX.
The closer, “Lucky Sometimes”, is easily my least favorite of the three ZOX album closers. It too lacks a strong violin line, their claim to fame. Really, it’s got good instrumentals, but they start out a bit too sunny for me, reminding me of the disappointment which was “Exile On Mainstream”. This song takes a direct approach to Iraq, even mention the “War Machine”, a term I thought I would never hear in music outside of State Radio. Though I believe “Goodnight” would have been a better closer, this song does fade out very well, and leaves the listener quite satisfied.
This is a very good album. I recommend you look into it even if you’ve never heard ZOX before, as their combinations of genres makes it so that everyone has something to enjoy. While it is disappointingly short, this only means that every song on the album is a wholehearted effort from the band, and it shows. I look forward to buying ZOX albums for many years to come.

-OSK

Nutella rocks my socks, and well…you know.