Zoo Pilot's ambitious debut album release entitled "Broken/Up" is
actually two albums released simultaneously. Individually titled
"Broken" and "Up", the two are loosely concept albums within themselves,
and, as a pair. Sonically and thematically, they represent very
different halves of the whole project. Through the ten tracks on
"Broken" a path enrooted in the five stages of grief is charted, whereas
"Up" represents a counterpoint to sadness and depression at times so
polarly different that it jaunts well into the realms of mania.
Neither album's lyrical content plays out in obvious alignment with
these antithetical moods (they're not meant to be aural psychology
courses), but thematically the songs on each are clustered together
around axes of seriousness/grief and levity/carefreeness.
Zoo Pilot, led by singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Brad
Paxton, has two full-time members. Their debut album was recorded over
the course of about 6 years (give or take) with most of the varied
instruments played and self-recorded by the pair in their Austin, Texas
home studios. It may have taken a long time for the endeavor to be fully
realized, but the do-it-yourself approach was the optimal choice for
the duo, allowing complete creative control and artistic expression
during an undertaking of such musical breadth.
