5 of 5 , July 17 2007
Reviewer: Chris Stanley
ZallaNayver - Searching for Random While I was searching randomly one day, I met a man with seven wives…I’ll leave the clever and timeless riddles to the experts, I think. Sorry, bad opening, but I don’t think I’ll start again. It would be a waste of time, but as long as the soundtrack included at least one track by these guys, I’d be quite happy. Some five years in the conception, ZallaNayver use loops and gloops and a bit of guitar to underpin a moody, atmospheric soundscape. It’s cool, and that in itself is enough to satisfy. In recent times, there has been a re-appropriation of rave culture into the idie firmament, but ZallaNayver veer off from that somewhat. Their tunes and use of soul vocals and samples recall classic Massive Attack, but they offer so much more. In fact, they could be pioneers of a scene I’m calling ‘techno-soul.’ It’ll catch on, promise. There are enough squelchy 303 synth patterns to make the most monged acid-casualty sit up and take notice. Check out the album, ‘cos it’s worth it. www.myspace.com/zallanayver www.zallanayver.com Chris Stanley

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5 of 5 , September 29 2006
Reviewer: Tom Race
Zalla Nayver is an unusual beast. rising from the ashes of the UK triphop scene, they come with there own unique brand of the genre. Their new album ’’Searching for random’’ is almost a return to the ’’deep and dark’’ roots of triphop doing away with the fouirees into the drum and bass and hip hop side of some post-trip hop, but giving it a distinctly modern feel. That said, they achieve a dark and sultry feel quite effectivley, combining the use of sexy synth bassline with the more conventional use of piano’s, guitars and live drums. The group’s sway back to more of a ’’band’’ approach to songwriting worked very nicely - with effective use of basslines and piano riffs as well as the occasional murmuring synth line or sample folded into the mix. It almost gives a minimal feel to the music with only a few lines being heard at once. The piano always brings a warm and familiar feel to the tracks and is used brilliantly in such tunes as ’’Pamper me’’ and ’’Time for’’ the latter beginning with an ethereal piano scale thats sure to chill your blood. They almost step into the progressive a few times with their wonderful fluttering intro ’’Thick Skin’’ with droplets of bubbling synth and subtle echoing beats in some wierd time signature, they never quite step over that boundary however and only hint at the possible. Finally - the masterwork of the album ’’Collecting Ghosts’’ is a haunting and heartwrenching affair with the undeniable ’’zalla’’ feel to it. Here they are truely in their element, the vocals in this tune outstrip the rest of the album in their feel and yearning, and here is where the minimal side of Zalla’s sound truely comes into its own. Only 9 vocal lines may feel to some like too few, but the song builds to a wonderfully rich sounding ending where the lines ’’The older we get, the more ghosts we collect’’ seep through. The harmony and quiet development of the vocal melody adds to the pathos of the track while still maintaining a hopeful side, truely a beautiful work. For a debut album this is a very good piece indeed and I await furthur releases with expectant ears.

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