zZz is a gimmicky duo from Amsterdam: drums and electric organ combining to make what at times sounds like trendy ’80s throwback synth-rock with a wink and a smirk, and at other times full-on spookified electronica fit for a goth-club dance floor.
A good portion of my time listening to zZz was spent trying to figure out if they were serious. They walk a similar line to Andrew W.K., though that’s not to compare their music at all. Though the vocals (sung in a Jim Morrison otherworldly croon that occasionally rises to Elvis rock swagger) sound serious, the moans of “Ecstasy” are quite simply too cheesy for me to believe that these guys can’t hear it, and the tinny repetitiveness of the organ just screams faux-mullet irony.
Either way, walking the line between irony and honesty works for Andrew W.K. and all those electroclash bands, so who knows? I could see this group going the same way–crowds of equal parts studied hipsters and serious fans, all dancing together. It’s high-energy, that’s for sure, speeding beats and keyboards calmed a bit by mellow, sexy vocals and lyrics that hit all the major rock’n’roll clichés. It’s like candy: probably not good for you, but fun in the right doses.
