Cassette Review: Zero Disorder "Superego"

[$3 // https://zerodisorder.bandcamp.com/album/superego]

Late last year, PBS Kids premiered a new live action series called "Odd Squad" that is all about teaching kids math.   It reminds me a bit of "Square One" from when I was growing up and of course I only know this because of my three year old.    In an episode of "Odd Squad", all of the zeros begin to disappear.    Agent Otto, one of the show's main characters, wonders why this is bad if zero means nothing.   His partner, Agent Olive, explains to him that zero doesn't always mean nothing as they can see something go from fifty cents in price to five cents.

I'm not sure if this was taken into consideration or not when choosing a name for this project, and if I had to guess I'd say not, but it is what the name makes me think of none the less and I think that's kind of fun.    Oddly enough, the fact that there is the word "Zero" in the name here also seemingly comes into play as these rock songs on "Superego" can remind me of Smashing Pumpkins, especially in that particular double CD era where Billy Corgan always seemed to be wearing that shirt.

Trying to pin down the sound of Zero Disorder isn't the easiest of things to do.    My first reaction was that the songs could easily be something off of the "No Alternative" compilation, and then of course many of the artists from there began coming out at various times throughout the other songs.    And it's not just that Smashing Pumpkins are on there, but it's Matthew Sweet, Soul Asylum and even a bit of Nirvana.

The distorted fuzz goes between punk and surf while bringing out something like a poppier version of Marilyn Manson's "Smells Like Children" with the catchier qualities of Local H's "As Good As Dead".     From "So It Goes" come hints of Weezer that makes me think this could be a favorite for the "Mallrats" soundtrack just as well, but it doesn't matter where you really want to put this in terms of soundtracks acting as genres because it just rocks.

There is this small spot where a saloon type of piano comes out, like someone would play in an old western, but then it goes right back to the fuzz rock.    Perhaps the best aspect you could take from all of this though is that all of these bands that Zero Disorder seems to be musical peers with are from the past.    They don't sound like current Weezer or Local H and I'm not willing to look into whether or not Matthew Sweet is still making new music (I know he was on a tour at one point, playing one of his classic albums in full), so as far as this goes with its contemporaries Zero Disorder is in a class all its own.