bird of prey is caleb scofield’s second release as zozobra, and this time around he is fleshing-out the foundations that he laid on harmonic tremors. scofield’s bass still dominates and propels this batch of songs, but the guitars are more permanent fixtures, complimenting the heaviness in each song by providing a bit more atmosphere. the drums also take on a more supportive role as aaron harris of isis has stepped in for santos montano. with a more subdued style, harris is the polar opposite of montano, but he still manages to set the unrelenting pace of each song. harmonic tremors was about juxtapositions, creating sounds that contrasted one another, which is why montano’s distinct drumming worked so well as a counterpoint to scofield’s bass. now, the instruments and the roles they play are much more democratic. even the vocal juxtapositions between the growls and clean singing that were a huge dynamic of zozobra’s debut are now absent, and have been replaced by more fluid mix of both. the decisions scofield has made on bird of prey are smart, logical choices that have helped craft his most cohesive album to-date.
Filed under: Album Review , 2008, aaron harris, bird of prey, caleb scofield, santos montano, zozobra
