So who are Jean-Paul & Things To Hear? Damned if I know as little in the way of biographical information came with this CD and the most the glorious Internet could give me was “a weird band”. Not a bad thing, of course, as I like weird.
“Zonk” is, perhaps unsurprisingly, an odd album from a weird band. It’s not that it is radical more that it doesn’t quite fit into anyone’s mould. It’s a bit bluesy at times (“Do It Yourself” or “Me Without You”) or sometimes a bit southern rock (“Happiness”) but more often it feels like a barely directed jam where all concerned just sort of made it up as they went along. The notable and creditable thing here is that this album works. Despite the variable sound quality and sometimes awkward musicianship, there is an infectious groove driving these songs along that simply drags you along with it.
Undoubtedly limited by budget, there is more imagination and inspiration showing here than in many an album and it has the feel of music that was actually fun to make.