Brooklyn experimental trio Zs has always been defying expectations, and their latest release, the mesmeric Xe (pronounced Zee), is no different. The record features some of Zs’s most accessible work, yet remains as challenging and captivating as any of their previous releases. “Corps,” the third track on the album, begins with the hypnotic plucking of Higgins’s guitar, and is immediately matched by Fox’s tom heavy fills, a machine gun patter played between toms and their rims. Hilmer’s saxophone refrains, sinewy and versatile, modulate the band’s volume and energy throughout. The rest of the album remains meticulously composed, but because it was recorded live in studio, captures the frenetic energy of their live sets. Zs will be releasing Xe tonight with a show at (Le) Poisson Rouge. – Emilio Herce (@emilioherce)
