Astrological Straits: Almost Another Hella Release

But Zach Hill's solo efforts attempt to distinguish himself from Hella and reveal some of his influences. As the only person working on the album, Hill becomes in charge of vocals, keys, guitar and bass in addition to drums, and he makes the most out of the chaos he creates. As a self-taught drummer who never writes down his absurdly complex music, it is interesting to see what he does with the instrumentation.

The final result is an interesting specimen. On the outside, Astrological Straits sounds very similar to a Hella release. Of course, this is mostly due to Hill's signature drumming style, and he puts a great deal of effort into the rest of the music. The lyrics are deeper and attempt to discuss more, whereas Hella is cryptic and often nonsensical. Having these meaningful, dark lyrics enhances the strangeness of Hill's music, and it allows for him to build his songs around things other than the drumbeat. Unlike in Hella, Astrological Straits follows lyrical progression and keyboard cues. This could be Hill experimenting, but the effect is certainly noticeable.

Overall, Astrological Straits is recommended to any Hella fan. As a solo artist, Zach Hill may not be all that different from his band, but Hella makes incredible music, and so does Hill on his own. It's noisy, but intriguing and even catchy in some places, and Hill takes advantage of vocalizations and effects to bolster Hella's classic drum and guitar.

Astrological Straits is available on Ipecac Recordings, and Zach Hill is online on Myspace.