When it falls

Zero 7

What's the deal? The soulful follow-up to their massively popular debut Simple Things sees Zero 7 casually establishing themselves as one of the finest UK acts around.

To Be Honest: While most 'chill-out music', to use a horrible, girly phrase, is about impressing middle-class strangers at awful dinner parties, Zero 7 have a certain something extra about them. A knack of creeping into your mind without you realising it and digging up - what are those things? Emotions, that's 'em.
But let's not be afraid. Although the song 'Somersault', begins with the unforgivable line, 'You're the prince to my ballerina,' which has you diving to press Skip, those who persevere are rewarded with a glorious string-laden number that'll get even miserable rock fans waltzing like idiots.
Elsewhere on this, their second album, (the first one's great too), 'Passing By' mixes R'n'B and space-age bleepings and 'Speed Dial No.2' crumbles down from a defiant repetition of, 'I don't need you anymore,' to a whispered, 'Just call me when you need me'. Pathetic? No. Very good actually, and as with most of the tracks it has an strange pull to it.
Listen out for The Low-era Bowie-isms of 'Look Up'. It's one of them soundscapes, innit?

Play: While decorating, making love, having a conversation - any activity where you can switch off and get absorbed in the tunes playing happily away in the background.