Album Review – Zambroni by Wicketkeeper (2023) (Self released)
A wise man once said that time, distance, the pandemic, and newly born offspring stand still for no man, or at least it was something very close to the above. Either way, it fits my narrative inasmuch that it may well explain the shift in musical nuance that Wicketkeeper have assumed since their debut album in October 2020.
For if their Skonk debut saw them offer decidedly shambolic jangle-rock replete with propulsive percussion and a slightly snide attitude, then the introduction of life experiences such as geographical separation, the arrival of children for two band members, and just a general sense of extra maturity may have resulted in this Zambroni follow-up being a somewhat more sedate affair.
It all works so wonderfully, as the aesthetic of the new album now thrives on genuine musical beauty rather than atypical dynamism. Always rooted to some degree in fuzz-laden production, such beauty arises from three interlinked sources.
Initially, the heavier, crunchier tracks such as Backwards Again, One By One, Minor Rollon Endless Scroll, and The Last Thing I Ever Said take the grumbling fuzz production of Mo Troper and Diners and drip feed piercing riffs straight through laconic, languid vocals as they force home their mid-tempo energies.
In comparison Alarm Clock Radio, Something I’ve Never Seen, Hockey Card Convention, and Answers augment Evan Dando-style 90s guitar-pop with the strumming twang of The Umbrella Puzzles.
However, the best of the album is represented by Bad Times Good Company, I Feel OK Having Nothing To Do, and Run Away. Here the aesthetic removes much of the fuzz, and the more lucid production reveals a Grand Prix-era Teenage Fanclub assuaged subtle power-pop sound that serves to emphasize a truly glorious Simon Morley vocal delivery that have hitherto been somewhat obscured.
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