Hudson, New York’s Future-Past Studios is like a sauna for musicians. Brooklyn-based ZS occupied the studio earlier this year, and in addition to the normal perspiration going on, a new album came surfing through their pores — Xe, recorded in a single take and set for release January 27 on Northern Spy.
I’m gleaning pure expressions of creativity from the press release, and in addition to the single take, arguable frontman Sam Hillmer had this to say regarding any production frills: “No effects, no editing, nothing done in post, just a snapshot of three guys in a room who worked really hard on some music for a long time.” Something about New Slaves did seem like an evocative catharsis, but I think we’re all curious to hear what this different lineup, featuring Patrick Higgins (also a producer on the album) and Greg Fox (Guardian Alien), has in store from an unadulterated LP perspective. An 18-minute title track? Shit yeah, we’re getting a sense.
Additional credits include Henry Hirsch, who went for interesting contrast by following up his producer work with Lenny Kravitz, and Tauba Auerbach, who reportedly went to painstaking lengths to design the cover art. No tracks to share, unfortunately, but in due time.
Xe tracklisting:
01. Future of Royalty
02. Wolf Government
03. Weakling
04. Corps
05. Xe
Dates:
12.20.14 - Ridgewood, NY - Trans-Pecos *
01.15.14 - Philadelphia, PA - TBA
01.16.14 - Boston, MA - TBA
01.17.14 - Hudson, NY - Half Moon ^
01.21.14 - New York, NY - le Poisson Rouge (Xe release party)
* Blazer Sound System
^ ZS solo projects (Sam Hillmer, Patrick Higgins, Greg Fox)
• ZS: http://www.zzzsss.com
• Northern Spy: http://northernspyrecords.com