Zero

Personnel: Eugene Reynolds (vocals, guitar); Fay Fife (vocals, Theremin); Jim Brady (guitar, background vocals); Jim Brady (guitar); Angel Paterson (drums).
Recording information: Scotland.
Photographers: Rob Smith ; Stewart Kerr Brown .
One of the great virtues of Scottish pop-punk geniuses the Rezillos was they broke up before they could do anything wrong. They formed in 1976, made a splash in 1977, released their superb album Can't Stand the Rezillos in 1978, and said farewell with a live album in 1979, fading into the sunset before they could do anything to tarnish their reputation. However, a new version of the Rezillos has been playing live shows since 2001, and in 2015 the group decided to cut a new studio album, and Zero finds the band pushing its vision into the 21st century. Zero features three members of the lineup that recorded Can't Stand the Rezillos -- vocalists Eugene Reynolds and Fay Fife, and drummer Angel Paterson -- and the band (which on these sessions also featured Jim Brady on guitar and Chris Agnew on bass) manages a solid re-creation of the Ramones-esque sound it delivered in its salad days. With the departure of original guitarist and principal songwriter Jo Callis, Zero feels a bit different than the Rezillos' instant classic debut, but the new tunes from Reynolds and Fife present their own spin on the kitschy playfulness and pop culture obsessions that were the group's lyrical trademark. Following up a classic from a remove of more than 35 years is often an invitation to disaster, but Zero is a tough, energetic effort from a band whose members are eager not to let their fans down. ~ Mark Deming