2012.09.14 Zoroaster - Matador

Color: Black

Released: 2010, July 13

Label: E1 Entertainment

I’m not totally familiar with Zoroaster. But this record was recommended to me by a good friend and so I decided to give it a listen. Out of the gate, I was pretty keen on the doom-laden sludgy assault the band tempered with atmosphere that bordered on shoegaze but veered just to side of eery and psychedelic. More importantly, they’re a local Atlanta band and they remind me of bar in EAV that I very much miss. Gravity Pub was one of those bars that was just perfect. It wasn’t pretentious, it wasn’t overrun with the kind of folk you didn’t care to spend your evening with. The food was decent and service was excellent. Over the bar hung a flag emblazoned with the band’s name (I think one of the member’s may have been on staff?) And so I associate band with bar and vice versa. I consider both band and bar part of the rich culture of Atlanta’s less traveled parts. They remind me of why I like this city. The artwork for this record is executed well, but unfortunately it’s kind of your standard fare for this genre. There’s nothing that really pushes the envelope as this type of work is concerned - but there are also certainly more offensive or less successful examples. The inside cover kind of takes a cue from Mew’s “And The Glass-Handed Kites” record and kinda fits in with the band’s psychedelic bent. Damn I miss Wednesday night Wing Night at Gravity.