Reviews
Razorcake #42 review by Joe Evans III
The latest release from these prolific Europeans, who are known for their take on pop punk crossed with rock'n'roll. They seem to try to take things a little further on this one as well, with some subtle indie rock and jazz influences (especially on "Daily Mail," which is one of my favorite tracks on the record). Other miscellaneous thoughts that popped into my head while listening involved wondering if Sonic Iguana had moved to overseas, and that the vocals sounding like a pop punk cross between Jello Biafra and Leonard Graves Phillips.
Jersey Beat review by Jim Testa
England�s Zatopeks might have grown up listening to Screeching Weasel and the Queers, but there�s a lot more than just pop-punk on their sophomore full-length. You can definitely hear the band�s influences on the utterly Weaselcore �I Don�t Want The Airwaves,� with its ultra-catchy one-string lead and singalong chorus, or the anthemic �Drive-By Music,� which adds horns to the mix, or the throbbing, bass-driven �Jumble Sale.� But Damn Fool Music expands the basic pop/punk formula in several meaningful ways; first, by seamlessly incorporating a plethora of rock and pop influences � surf, doo wop, handclaps, shalalalala's, gang vocals, even some jazz � into the music, and secondly by writing lyrics that go far beyond the usual themes of nerd-boy romance. Subtlety is a key virtue here; the angry political protest songs �Radio Maryja� and �Daily Mail� attack big issues like anti-Semitism, homophobia, and other forms of hate-mongering with lilting happy-sounding melodies. (The diatribe against England�s right-wing newspaper The Daily Mail even adds a jazzy muted trumpet.) Three lovely acoustic ballads � four if you count the piano-driven �Song For Nina Simone� - provide change of pace, spotlighting singer Will DeNiro�s earnest romantic side. Two other noteworthy tracks show remarkable empathy for imagining the lives of people much older than anyone in the band � �15 Ta Life,� about a middle-aged marriage falling apart, and �Picture Postcards,� in which DeNiro ponders the fate of people on postcards from the early 1920�s. And if it�s still pop/punk you�re after, there�s plenty of that too, with uplifting messages and bracing melodies on tracks like �Don�t Let The Night Get You Down� and �Death And The Hobo� (originally released in a slower, acoustic version on the �Handclaps & Bottlecaps� split-EP with the Copyrights.) A late contender for one of the best releases of 2007, says I.
Punktastic review by Mark
I have to admit that I was delighted when I heard the news that Household Name had signed the Zatopeks. They are one of the best pop punk bands in the UK and yet they remain embarrassingly overlooked on these shores. Having released their debut album, �Ain�t nobody left but us�, through Dutch label Stardumb Records, I�m hoping that a proper UK release for their latest effort will turn a few more heads in the direction of the band.
�Damn Fool Music� then, is the second full-length from the Zatopeks. It pretty much picks up where the first album left off; refining what was already a very accomplished sound. Zatopeks, as is by now common knowledge, mix their pop punk stylings with a whole host of other influences, from 50�s pop bands to The Ramones. This is an album that is literally stuffed full of great songs.
�Radio Marja� kicks off the record in fine style. With great hooks, a killer chorus and well implemented gang vocals, this is a song that ticks all the right boxes. There are also instances here where the band appear to grow outside their already established song writing style. Tracks like �Courtyard Blue� and �Song for Nina Simone� showcase a more mature and subtle side to the band. That�s not to say the band have forgotten how to rock though. �Drive By Love� and �Jumble sale� are amongst the very best these guys have written.
With �Damn Fool Music� the Zatopeks have crafted their best and most balanced piece of work to date. It manages to be passionate, uplifting, inspiring and a hundred other things all at the same time. It will make you smile, dance and generally jump around like a crazy person. This is without doubt one of the best releases by a UK band this year. Buy this and help make the Zatopeks as successful as they deserve to be.
Readjunk.com review by Adam Coozer
Pop Punk's third wave continues to crest with the new Zatopeks CD. Like many of the great bands in the Whoa Oh camp, The Zatopeks are harmony-inclined with Beach Boys-ish background vocalizing and clean-cut squarishness. What sets them apart though are the warbly cockney accent, which throws in a Buzzcocks/Undertones vibe, and the sometimes-political lyrics, a rarity in pop-punk. Both attributes reflect some serious British bite under the harmless 1950s Americana veneer.
The album starts off great with four awesome, peppy, hand-clapping tunes. It then takes a dip with a too-quiet and middling ballad ("Picture Postcards") and an atrociously simplistic slow shuffle about media lies ("Daily Mail"). It picks up again with "I Don't Want the Airwaves," "Culture of Control," and "Ship To Go Down With," but other lengthy ballads like "Courtyard Blues" and "Song for Nina Simone" trip up the pace.
Still, out of 14 tracks, 7 are excellent, another 3-4 are pretty good. It's a keeper.
4/5 Stars
Rude Review.org review by Ryan
The biggest difference between Punk Music from America and Punk Music from Europe is Culture. We, as Americans tend to tread very heavily on our fundamentals and foundations. Throwing history to the wind we�d rather look out for numero uno than learn about, much less care about, where we come from. I never said we had to like any of it, but as GI Joe said-�Knowing is half the battle�. Maybe if we �Knew� a little more than we claim to understand we could see the little glints of beauty that are left in this shitty camp of ours. This attitude extends to the punk scene in a number of ways and it�s sad and no wonder the world be wagging a finger at us in �shame on you� manner. We could learn a thing or 10 from bands like the ZATOPEKS. Especially the Zatopeks. Why does music have to include culture? Music is CULTURE. For long time music has been a defining thing. Used to trade stories and recordkeeping. Used to lift fallen spirits. Used to battle demons of the heart. Used to say �I love you� a million times. However music is made or used it comes from the human condition and the human condition is defined by ones surroundings or ones longings for family, love and happiness, be them positive or negative-The building blocks of Culture. The Zatopeks exude a certain confidence that proceeds them but doesn�t under-mind the intelligence of their music. They are fully aware of the predicament they are in living in the UK. They voice their opinions and passions from working class wages to the pursuit of the elusive love affair. �Ain�t Nobody Left but US� (Stardumb 2005) we saw the Zatopeks in perfect form spinning stories of growing up and getting on. The album presented itself in an almost �Punk Side Story� wonderment. The songs really hit home for me and blew my mind. I had never heard music like that before and I haven�t heard anything that could compare since. The ZATOPEKS embody the term �singular� in all of its star-popping, beer swilling, energy of the people it evokes. �Damn Fool Music� is the latest effort from these lads and picks up where the last release left off. 14 songs all different from themselves, �Music� delivers on every level. Songs that enlist you to shake your ass and songs that make your heart beat a little faster. Will Deniro is a born frontman with the charm and charisma of any of the Outsiders, put here to play these songs. The rest of the band blends guitars, drums and vocals into the strongest form since the APERS. The Zatopeks tell stories of life on all levels and teach you to appreciate the culture you may have by challenging you to think a little bit more. It�s hard to describe the tunes themselves because of their uniqueness but overall the record has bubblegum back up vox, Ramones driven guitars, some BLUES, some Anthems & Pop Punk BRILLIANCE. If you would like to fall in love with music again, and fall in love with a band again try the Zatopeks and just maybe you�ll be a fan for life.
Punknews.org review by Glasspipemurder
Dear Zatopeks: The `50s, `60s and `70s called. They want their sound back. Also, the estates of Joey Ramone, Buddy Holly and the guy from the Toy Dolls called too and they�re pissed. They think you stole their likeness. They think you rock too much like they did. Oh, the guy from the Toy Dolls is still alive? Whatever, he�s still pissed.
Hailing from London (the same current locale as the Toy Dolls) and fronted by a singer of similar nerdiness, Zatopeks bang out a sampling of early rock and roll styles and even some `60s Dylan-inspired folk when not doing their best Ramones impression.
The record kicks off with �Radio Maryja,� a simple, punchy roller-skate number with plenty of �ba ba ba�s and is followed by the equally catchy �15 Ta Life,� with unexpectedly heavy subject matter (�Fifteen years of marriage, it�s really come to this / A custody battle for the whiskey bottle / Well, we never did have kids�) and some outstanding lyrical imagery (�Trains passing through the dusk lit up like movie screens / A million bit-part actors for a film we�ll never see / [�] / I join the extras on that train / My favorite bridge still looks the same / I press my face to the glass / Kiss you and it�s goodbye�). Zatopeks hit their album�s high point with the third song, �Drive-By Love,� an infectious horn-driven tune of equal parts Ramones and early River City Rebels. From there, the band throws in attempts at folk with �Picture Postcards� and �Courtyard Blues,� and soft rock with �Song For Nina Simone,� none of which work all that effectively. Before bowing out, though, Zatopeks recharge and bust out �I Don�t Want the Airwaves� and �747,� two fantastically fun punk songs.
With so many bands in the U.S. retooling the classic Ramones sound, it�s surprising that more haven�t experimented with different styles like Zatopeks have. While ultimately it�s their fast and energetic songs that are the best, it�s nice to see a band of this inclination try something different. Damn Fool Music? Damn good music.
peacedogman.com review by Michels
Damn those punks! Whoa Oh Records definitely has a soft spot for this mid nineties punk sound. Compared to the recently reviewed LOST LOCKER COMBO these guys are not bad at all.
The album kicks off with the two typical uptempo melodic punk tracks "Radio Maryja" and "Ta Life", not exactly re-inventing the wheel, as they pretty much sound like typical like Fat Wreck-type fare. Vocalist deNiro sounds uncannily like Fat Mike from NOFX on some of these tunes.
But just as I was getting that "been there, heard it all before" feeling, THE ZATOPEKS show some real depth, delving into a nice acoustic number "Picture Postcards" with some female vocals. Then all of a sudden, with "Daily Mail" they switch to a jazzy lounge tune. Skokie Venom from former Dutch pop/punk heroes TRAVOLTAS lends some keyboard and vocal arrangements to the mix, and his contribution becomes obvious in "Jumble Sale" with that typical sort of Hammond sound. "I Don't Want the Airwaves" returns to West Coast style, "747" seems to wander into English territory, and "Courtyard Blues" offers another acoustic gem.
As long as ZATOPEKS continue to play the poppy punk rock, it's doubtful they'll deliver anything earth-shattering in terms of originality. But roughly half of the tracks presented during "Damn Fool Music" exhibit an ability to look beyond the familiar. In those songs the band sounds rather playful, even capable of tearing down some punk walls. Maybe they will with the next record.
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$10