Zone Rouge by Right Hand Left Hand
Dave Hjortland | Published on 8/24/2023
I’m not sure how this album should be classified, but I’m going to call it jazz-rock. This is the third album from two Welsh guys who play guitars and everything else. Despite the impression you may get of a full band/orchestra, it’s just the two guys. There are 11 tracks here, joined by a theme of destruction of the earth, with each track named after a location of a natural and/or man-made disaster. The pair weave mostly instrumental sonic landscapes with looped and layered guitars, propulsive drums and occasional vocals to produce an atmospheric ambiance that is hard to describe, much less categorize.
The topics and themes are not immediately identifiable. This is music as art, and I daresay that you are expected to ponder how the music relates to the title of the song and make what connection you may. The sound is somewhat reminiscent of 80’s “krautrock” but more accessible. While the tunes are not necessarily cheerful – this is certainly not singable/danceable stuff – neither are they as dreary and depressing as their topics might suggest. Instead this is involving music that demands your attention, makes you want to listen and perhaps, just incidentally, ponder what it’s all about.
I’m generally not into jazz-oriented music, but this is worthwhile and intriguing stuff. This is a rare case where I have the CD but not the LP. (My preference for source will usually fall within the analog camp.) I can say that the CD sound is excellent, though I’d be willing to guess that the LP version would better it.