Zed Penguin – A Ghost, A Beast
A Ghost, A Beast is tactful and tactless, with just the right amounts of both revealing the expert showmanship of a band whose hard-won debut sounds nothing like a first attempt
Matthew Winter has taken his time. Accidents, incidents, coincidences and a heaped spoonful of luck has led to A Ghost, A Beast – Zed Penguin’s first full album – coming some six years after a debut on a Song, by Toad split 12” in 2012. An Australian by birth but an honorary Scot at heart, you’ve likely heard Winter’s unruly balladry in any one of Edinburgh’s live music venues. Once a solo endeavour, Zed Penguin became a full band in time for that first recording, with James Metcalfe (bass) and Casey Miller (drums), as well as celebrated cellist Atzi Muramatsu who returns as a special guest for this full LP.
Mournful and ferocious, the album is a testimony to the power in holding back, only to let rip all the stronger. This Town is open-hearted and theatrical, with well-placed words and riffs ripped wide open. Ribbons of Light (Hold Ya Heart High) is crystal clear and Violent Night swings from shooting stars to barely-veiled threats. The title track is as light, and then as grizzled, as its name suggests: threatening bass, intrusive hi-hats, and an exuberant guitar hold it down as Winter begins to scream.
Each song is full to bursting, and such a strategy can sometimes feel chaotic. The Source of My Dreams is a blurry track, difficult to keep a hold on, but later in the album when Muramatsu’s cello returns it feels like this stormy band becomes an orchestra. A Ghost, A Beast is tactful and tactless, with just the right amounts of both. It’s a fine line, and reveals the expert showmanship of a band whose hard-won debut sounds nothing like a first attempt.
Listen to: This Town, Ribbons of Light (Hold Ya Heart High)