Zabala – ‘No Club’ album review: An atmospheric soundscape from the Basque Country
THE SKINNY: The Basque Country, in northern Spain, is an area of stunning natural beauty, with picturesque coastlines and historic towns and cities dotting the otherwise untouched landscape. In recent years, however, the autonomous region has often been noted for its incredible cultural output, with Bilbao being a particular haven for musicians and artists alike. Jon Aguirrezabalaga is one such figure, who has been a stalwart of the city’s music scene for decades, both as a solo artist and as a member of the synth group We Are Standard. His latest exploit sees the songwriter take on the stage name Zabala, constructing a wealth of compelling soundscapes.
On this new album, No Club, Zabala demonstrates his endlessly broad and diverse electronic influences. Although, at heart, it is an electronic album, the composer manages to incorporate so many different sounds and musical influences that it is difficult to categorise it properly. No Club moves fluidly from gentle, atmospheric soundscapes to driven, almost danceable beats. Its fluidity is especially impressive given the wide variety in sound; it never feels as though it jerks from one sound to another. Truthfully, it would be easy to view this record as one long, continuous composition.
Highlights of this album come within the longer tracks, during which time Zabala is given enough time to develop his ideas properly. The longer songs provide the composer with an opportunity to reveal elements of his work gradually, whereas some of the tighter efforts seem to be a little contrived and never really get a chance to properly get going. Tracks like ‘Amira’ or ‘Mr. Vertigo’, for instance, feel closer to being superfluous interludes than notable songs in their own right. Arguably, though, they do still contribute to the flow of the album.
Much of the record is made up of profound instrumental works from the composer, and while they are captivating, the interest can wane as you reach the latter stages of the tracklisting. As a result, No Club really benefits from its various collaborators. Across the album, the likes of Verde Prato, RRUCCULLA, and Sara Zozaya weigh in to provide a new angle and accompaniment to Zabaya’s inherent sound. The vocal tracks, in particular, form some enjoyable moments on No Club. As an album, it has an almost cinematic quality to it, which makes it an excellent record for the Autumn months, but one which will undoubtedly endure into the sunshine, too.
For fans of: Gazing longingly out of the window on a rainy day, pretending you are in an art-house film about somebody who has suffered incredible loss.
A concluding comment from Ben’s housemate: “I was all ready to listen to some funky, upbeat electronica, and now I am sitting on the floor contemplating all my life choices because music made by some bloke from Bilbao has broken my heart.”
No Club track by track:
Release date: October 17th | Label: Forbidden Colours | Producer: Zabala
‘Nire Azala (Feat. Verde Prato)’: Easing into the album with a gentle, understated, and atmospheric effort, Zabala collaborates with the incredible vocalist Verde Prato to bring his already-clear artistic vision to life. [3.5/5]
‘Crystal Skin (Feat. Liam)’: Another collaborative effort, this song takes a slightly different path to the previous, opting instead for danceable electronic beats interspersed with an ethereal soundscape. Despite this change in direction, though, the tracklisting still flows incredibly well. [3/5]
‘Tantak’: This is the longest effort from across the album, and Zabala certainly takes his time meticulously crafting the sonic landscape at the heart of this song. After two collaborative tracks at the beginning of the record, it is refreshing to hear the solo talents of Zabala placed at the forefront. [4/5]
‘Calavera (Feat. RRUCCULLA)’: Weaving together uneasy electronica and a continuous drum beat, this song speaks to the innovative nature of the Basque composer. Again, we see the power of his work when met with an external source, in this case, the expressionist RRUCCULLA. [3.5/5]
‘Molokai’: After a very long, slow and understated introduction, more and more aspects of Zabala’s composition begin to reveal themselves. It does feel, however, as though it could have benefitted from being extended past its three-and-a-half minute run-time. [3/5]
‘Amira’: One of the shorter explorations on this album, ‘Amira’ feels more like a transitional track or interlude than a song in its own right. Nevertheless, it does offer some interesting themes within Zabala’s music world and helps the record keep its seamless flow. [2.5/5]
‘Urtu’: Undoubtedly the album’s stand-out song, Zabala throws everything at ‘Urtu’, creating an incredibly diverse, rich, and compelling composition that succeeds in being a large, looming track that never gets to the point of feeling too overbearing. [4/5]
‘Mr.Vertigo’: In a similar vein to ‘Amira’, this song never really gets a chance to unfold over the course of its one-minute runtime fully. Although its far-out feeling is interesting, it becomes hard to fully invest in it due to its short length. [2.5/5]
‘Y nada (Feat. Sara Zozaya)’: After a fair few instrumental-only efforts, Zabala employs the vocal services of Sara Zozaya, whose distinctive singing style compliments the electronic composition of the Basque songwriter perfectly. [3.5/5]
‘My Mexican Bretzel’: An excellent example of what Zabala can achieve when given enough time to fully develop and explore an idea. On this song, the composer takes his time in revealing aspects of the composition and changing the mood, and the listener is certainly rewarded for that. [3.5/5]
‘Patrik’: Closing out the record, Zabala offers audiences his most emotional, understated track thus far. Built almost entirely around a piano track, it offers a lot of insight into the diversity of the composer’s talents while offering a fitting close for such an atmospheric album. [4/5]
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