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Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆
In a strange turn of events, UFO artist (a term I coined to mean “fascinating and elusive music project,” do you like it?) I AP has released their second LP, the coveted “The Zookeeper.” Released a mere 5 months following its self-titled predecessor, “The Zookeeper” is a confident elaboration on ideas first touched upon in “I.AP.” It really is complicated, and it has me feeling as excited as it has me feeling tingly.
Allow me to zookeep, if I may; opener “The Ant” is a total mindblower, and possibly some of the best work to stimulate my brain in recent times. The ethereal synths contrast the aggressive elements that present themselves halfway through the song – it is all a little fever dream-esque, and it certainly is a piece for the history books. Similar can be said of the subsequent “9 Little Midgets” and “Sored,” both of which feature haunting vocals (if unintelligible wails are to be described as such) and are fronted by a prestige of foresighted complexity.
Yet it was not long before “I.AP, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ…” took the reins for a shift of tone, an abrasive listen at that. It is cacophonous, yes, yet it is likewise orderly and does not overstay its welcome – the marathon-titled epic was therefore a pleasant shift of emotional drifts, turning an already dynamic album into one hell of a listen in the grandest sense.
This is where I started to get a little lost, however. By track 5, the album’s thesis statement had been clearly defined, making the latter half of the record feel rather redundant. It is of high quality (as is the entirety of this project), but there is only so much attention a listener can pay a certain piece of media – so what happens when an immersive listening experience that demands one’s keen attention at all times drags on for a bit too long? It is not grating by any measure, but I do believe it is a shame that I kept drifting off at certain points – this album could have benefitted from some minor quantitative economy, but I hold no grudges.
Penultimate track “Melancholy Broth” does thankfully redeem the back half of an otherwise front-loaded album, bringing forth a carefully-orchestrated rendition of the unnavigable chaos that is characteristic of I AP’s work – again, a very immersive listening experience, and definitely a song you can get lost in (or rather drown in). Man, I love it when music makes me forget that I am real ₍₍⚞(˶>ᗜ<˶)⚟⁾⁾
“The Zookeeper” is far more ambitious than I AP’s previous “I.AP,” and that is a hustle I can get behind. The old ideas on show are given new life, the new ideas are trailblazing and exciting, and the soundscape is more fleshed-out than ever before. As much as it feels like tripping balls on a summer afternoon, it also feels like a coherent statement – a statement of what, I will never be able to fully determine. Yet this album is a beauty – I just wish it were slightly more compact, but who am I to complain? It is a good one as it is – an 8/10 is therefore in order.
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