Customer Reviews

Tired of Hanging Around

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's a shame America hasn't got on to the Zutons enough to give them a proper release in the United States. Among the new Britrock revival that started with Franz Ferdinand, followed through with the Kaiser Chiefs and ended (for now) with the Arctic Monkeys, The Zutons are one of the most adventurous and compelling. Slightly reminiscent of early Talking Heads albums the Zutons bring us an elective R&R that is both exciting and daring. The Zutons seem to excel in surprising hooks and original lyrics. There debut was a joyous affair full of promise. There follow up delivers on that promise. Where the debut album was at times too elective and disorientating Tired of Hanging around is a more cohesive effort. The lyrics on the album sound more personal and for a part disbanded the at times absurdist more arty creations of Who Killed the Zutons. This makes their sophomore effort more compelling. The music is exciting as always. Yet the band seems more aware of their strengths. Where on the debut album the Zutons were clearly still looking for their sound, on Tired of Hanging around they appear to have it locked down. The end result is an unusual but Funky R&R record.

Zutons are a UK quintet from Liverpool, with a rough psychedelic rock/R&B/ska/folk sound, akin to fellow Brits, The Coral, with a small dash of The Smiths. `Tired of hanging around' is their sophomore disc, and it's already topped the UK albums chart.

In Smiths-like mode, lyric wise is the rather dark but upbeat `Oh Stacey (look what you've done)' with an accompanying morbid but hilarious video.

`Secrets' is a swinging ska tinged song (great horns) and an insistent chorus. Retro rocker `It's the little things we do' has a great guitar riff.

Title track `Tired of hanging around' features great story telling, set to a Paul Weller sound, with great harmonies, something to be found throughout the album. Other great upbeat songs are the jangly, sunny `Valerie', and the clap along `Hello conscience'.

Slowing things down are `Someone's watching over me'which starts off like a lullaby before building up to a nice guitar ballad with dreamy harmonies. `You've got a friend' is a catchy skiffle, and `I know I'll never leave' is an airy ballad with a raw vocal delivery and soothing harmonies.

I think they'll be hanging around for a long time to come...

I started listening to The Zutons back in 2004 when a friend recommended them to me. It wasn't until I saw them live a few months later that I really started to appreciate The Zutons' sound.

An upbeat and energetic band with quirky lyrics and insane music really make for an interesting album. If you were turned off by their last album (like I said, I had to see them live before I really got into them), never fear. This is so much different than their debut, and in some ways even better.

When one listens to this they have to realise that Dave McCabe is highly autobiographical when he writes his music. I had to sit and wonder what the hell happened to Dave between the two albums? This one is far more dark and sometimes sad. WEll, the lyrics are. But the music? Simply PERFECT. Abi has really come a long way with her vocals. Her sax is still awesome and Russell and Boyan use some pretty cool "classic Rock type" riffs and rhythms. Sean still uses his cowbell in delightful intervals ("I need more cowbell!") and sets the pace in a furious flurry of beats. Dave's voice and guitar are still absolutely perfect. (Yes he's still singing about dreams, or nightmares, whatever your take is.)
I cannot get enough of this album. Their stateside tour is going to be so teriffic and I cannot wait.

And yes, 'Hello Conscience' IS on the album, but a bit different than the version was on the WAR CHILD compilation.

It's a shame America hasn't got on to the Zutons enough to give them a proper release in the United States. Among the new Britrock revival that started with Franz Ferdinand, followed through with the Kaiser Chiefs and ended (for now) with the Arctic Monkeys, The Zutons are among the most adventurous and compelling. Slightly reminiscent of early Talking Heads albums the Zutons bring us an elective R&R that is both exciting and daring. The Zutons seem to excel in surprising hooks and original lyrics. There debut was a joyous affair full of promise. There follow up delivers on that promise. Where the debut album was at times too elective and disorientating Tired of Hanging around is a more cohesive effort. The lyrics on the album sound more personal and for a part disbanded the at times absurdist more arty creations of Who Killed the Zutons. This makes their sophomore effort more compelling. The music is exciting as always. Yet the band seems more aware of their strengths. Where on the debut album the Zutons were clearly still looking for their sound, on Tired of Hanging around they appear to have it locked down. The end result is an unusual but Funky R&R record.

The Zutons made a real big impression the first time around. They toured with Muse (?) in the USA and were on a TV commercial with that song "Pressure Point." They sort of fit in that goofy pirate Liverpool sound. The second album sounds far more interesting. I feel like the real band is coming out. Songs like "It's The Little Thing We Do" and "Valerie" sound more representative of this great band. "Someone Watching Over Me" is great ballad. You don't hear these songs anymore. I prefer soul singers to English ballads anyway. This is music built around a vocal styling. But the music is again totally interwoven in the Zuton fabric. I think record has a wider appeal than their first outing. I look forward to the new live shows. "Why Don't You Give Me Your Love" is a cool song. This band is young. Expect many good things from them down the road. They have played with the biggest bands in the world. It's time for people to take notice of The Zutons.

The music is good enough but frankly my 13 year son plays more complex saxophone chops for his middle school band. I read an article extolling "her demonic sax-playing"! How can you tell when she is belting out nothing but three note groups. It's pretty clear why Abi is on stage and it ain't the sax. A really good player could bring so much more to the songs.

great cd...I'm going to have to buy more of the zutons. Very riff centric voicings and phrasings, love it..

First saw the Zutons on Palladia TV playing one of the festivals. I thought they sounded great and ordered a copy of "Tired of Hanging Around". Like it so much I ended up ordering "You Can Do Anything" and "Who Killed......the Zutons". Being an old rock guitarist, the first thing that caught my ear was the wealth of great guitar tones. Everything from beautiful clean to tube amp crunch. Catchy songs with great lyrics, great raspy vocals, tight rythm section and great saxophone fills. The Zutons are like a really great musical soup! If you want to see some killer footage pull up Youtube and look for the Zutons live from Abbey Road or pull up just about any of their live versions of "Valerie". I really hope we get to see this band doing a U.S. tour!

Really fresh sound - many good songs on the CD - Great voice and Sax adds a touch to make it feel like early rock n' roll.

Not quite up to the level of innovation & fresh ideas presented on their first disc, Who Killed...The Zutons. A decent listen however.