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Following through on the promise given on the Zookeeper self-titled
EP released late in 2006, Chris Simpson and Co. have returned
with a full-length record filled with the same loose, jangling rock
that originally endeared us to his new project and a handful of earnest
gems to fully round out his sound. On Becoming All Things,
Simpson continues to build on the foundation he has laid throughout
his years of blazing musical trails, from his noisy and raucous beginnings
in emo wonderband Mineral to the shoegazey tastiness of The
Gloria Record. In the slackly built collective Zookeeper,
Chris Simpson returns a bit to his humble acoustic guitar beginnings
and turns in a set of songs that rely more on heartfelt emotional
presentation than the sometimes slick production and/or overwhelming
sound of his previous outfits. Simpson is taking things back to the
basics, the truth found in the song, but doing so with a panache that
only a musical prodigy like himself would be able to pull off.
"Snow In Berlin" is a perfect example of the brilliant
continuation of the Zookeeper EP, all rubbery-limbed jangles
and edge-of-the-seat horn sections giving form to a solidly rollicking
rhythm. The sound is loose and slightly bacchanalian, rewarding the
listener with the same sort of gratifying joy that was previously
experienced on tracks like "I Live In The Mess You Are".
With a full-length record, Simpson gets the chance to give a wider
performance, turning in some slower and more thoughtful songs than
were found on the previous EP (with the exception of the weirdly rambling
"Two-Part Invention"). "On Madison Way" has an
almost prayerful quality to it's slightly off-key droning as Simpson
breaks into the liturgical essence of the "Gloria". "Ballad
Of My Friends" finds a jumping rhythm and band once more in full
swing as Simpson directly channels the livelier spirit of Van Morrison
and marries it to a country-ish vibe reminiscent of Josh Ritter's
more rocking moments. The only thing really lacking from the song
is a more R'n'B horn presence… the trumpet plays its role nicely,
but a full four-piece horn section would drive the song the extra
mile to perfection.
The album really opens up on the incredible "Boy And The Street
Choir", a seven-minute exploration of soul and body that long-time
fans of Simpson have been anxiously awaiting. Here is where Simpson's
unique voice really shines, with light piano and synthesized strings
that hearken back to the No Guru, No Method, No Teacher era
of Van Morrison. The song is at once tender and reflective, all the
while pushing the spirit forward to great things and recalling the
heart into the shelter of the warm welcoming arms of love. This is
the opus many have known waited inside the soul of Chris Simpson,
and the realization of the hope is better than many would have guessed
possible.
Following this great track is quite a task, but the band breaks things
up with a Madchester-style jazzy instrumental interlude called "Al
Kooper's Party Horn" before once more kicking things up into
a lightly waltzing acoustic swing on "Everyone's A DJ".
Simpson goes on to lay out some reflective slower tracks on the (once
more seven-minute long) deliberate strains of "On High",
which sounds like a lost track from the near-mythic Tofer Simpson
Society. "Becoming All Things" is a stately lo-fi lullaby
that tackles societal ills and personal demons in its stoic piano
bits and purposeful rhythmic drone as Simpson relates the dilemma.
"See, I gave my heart to some mad God, never cared for the incision/
And the prison's dark as I slip between these bars and breathe…"
the song slowly builds in odd rhythms and guitar parts over the banjo
and mandolin-like bits to a glorious climax worthy of being compared
to the finest dynamism of The Frames before falling away to
the quiet of sleep… The album finishes with the brilliant "Born
With Things To Do", a bright tune filled with the kind of purpose
that truly inspires the soul to reach for the great unknown, unknowable,
and desired.
Zookeeper is quite simply Chris Simpson hiding behind nothing anymore.
Stripped away are the fancy production tricks and walls of guitar
feedback, revealing quite simply a man with a heart of gold that would
like a few minutes of your time to tell you how he feels. Maybe those
words will help you through your day or week, help you recover from
something sad or frightful, or simply give you something to tap your
foot to for a while. Regardless of exactly what you will personally
take away from listening to Becoming All Things, the truth
is that you'll take away a bit of the truth. And that is the greatest
gift any artist can give to the world.
-David DeVoe
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