Another huge swing and a miss for us when it comes to finding this record. If not for a helpful heads-up from Kelp record vet Chris Page, I doubt I’d have ever heard the debut LP from Ottawa’s Year Zero and when you consider the fact their band name leads to a google competition with NIN, you can see how this blazing post-punk outfit flies under the radar.
Technically, Year One is a collection of songs from the band’s two EPs, but regardless when the were first put to record, they sound fantastic (and surprisingly cohesive). Every song is filled with cymbal crashes, snares as taught as 80′s jeans, buzzsaw/90′s era Lookout! records guitars and sing-along choruses that make you wish you were still 18, driving around with your friends with the stereo cranked. What helps Year Zero though, is that even though they still kick out the jams that connect with people half my age, they hit you with moments of maturity – “Place to Stay” and “We All Grow Up” – that would make Blake Schwarzenbach proud and remind us show that punk rock anthems don’t always have to be about girls, beer and being broke.
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MP3:: Year Zero – Linen
WEB:: http://www.myspace.com/YearZeroOttawa