It does not in any way disparage Those Pretty Wrongs to state the band is channeling the spirit of the late lamented Big Star. After all, the drummer for that influential band, Jody Stephens, is one of the two principals of TPW, along with kindred spirit Luther Russell, the prolific West Coast musician/ producer. On this, their sophomore album, these pure popsters contemporize ‘a golden age of rock and roll,’ with nary a whit of self-consciousness..
This pair toss a curve ball at the very outset of Zed For Zulu, prior to proceeding to their forte. With once and future member of the like-minded DB’s Chris Stamey arranging sparse strings over insistent acoustic rhythm guitar on “Tonight Tonight Tonight,” Those Pretty Wrongs display creative and emotional courage only a cynic might resist. The slightly bittersweet vocal harmonies so prominent there are one of the basic components of the decidedly Beatlesque approach the pair have adopted.
Thus, it’s no surprise similarly dulcet tones reappear on on top of chiming electric guitars during “Ain’t Nobody But Me.” Such tuneful singing is also the main feature of “Time To Fly:” clocking in at 3:52, it is one of the longest tracks here, basics of which ere recorded, not so coincidentally, at Big Star’s studio of choice, Ardent in Memphis, before Russell subsequently mixed and added the most minimal overdubs at Electrosound studios in Los Angeles. Jim Spake plays clarinet on the doleful “Hurricane of Love,” the sounds of which dovetail nicely with the harpsichord on that track Meanwhile, a frequent collaborator of Luther’s, Danny De La Matyr, adds additional background vocals on the delightfully piano-based “Undertow” (he also worked on the cover art designed in part by Luther).
None of these extra instrumental flourishes undermine the essential simplicity of Zed For Zulu, a subliminal message reinforced with the angelic singing combined with snappy guitars, bass and drums on “You + Me.” The extra echo on the vocals there most directly evoke the self-conscious affectations that afflicted Big Star at times, but there’s a sense of sincere homage in that performance, not just to Stephens’ band, but the underlying British sources thereof. Still, there’s a certain air of healthy detachment in the music Those Pretty Wrongs make: were that not the case, the effervescence in “It’s About Love” might well sound forced or be missing altogether.
But Luther Russell and Jody Stephens’ positivism furthers its flight for the duration of the track. As, in fact, with every one of the ten terse tracks that precede it on this woefully abbreviated album. But even the thirty-five minute duration (optimum design for a vinyl LP) turns out to be an asset: the flashing passage of the tunes more readily facilitates their repeated playing.
