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The Zutons
WHO KILLED THE ZUTONS?
(Epic)
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This curiously named quintet share a home town (Liverpool) and an English record label (Deltasonic) with the Coral, who made a modest impact in the States with a pair of albums released here in 2003 and 2004 — albums that appealed to fans of British pop for whom Oasis had ceased being adventurous enough. They also share a sound: like the Coral, the Zutons view their loose, seemingly improvisational rock as a vessel to fill with whatever strikes their fancy. So tunes on their debut album start out in one place and end up in another. The opening "Zuton Fever" sputters to life with an ominous spy-movie guitar riff, then adds skronking saxophone and a bass line that evokes Eastern European folk music. "Pressure Point" introduces precise doo-wop harmonies to a lead vocal that appears to satirize white blues singers like Eric Burdon. "Confusion" is a lovely ballad modeled after both "Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay" and the silly love songs of solo-era Paul McCartney (plus, it has that skronking saxophone again). The CD takes a few spins to cohere, but its hodge-podge virtue lies in that delay. (The Zutons open for Keane next Friday, February 11, at the Orpheum Theatre, 1 Hamilton Place in Boston; call 617-228-6000.)
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