Zaba
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Zaba Image
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77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 55 Ratings

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  • Summary: The debut full-length release for the British quartet led by David Bayley was self-produced by Bayley.
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Top Track

Gooey
I come close Let me show you everything I know The jungle slang Spinning around my head and I stare While my naked fool Fresh out of an icky gooey... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
  1. Paste Magazine
    Jun 11, 2014
    90
    Produced by Bayley under executive production of Epworth, the album is bizarre, gorgeous, playful and dark--and it’s absolutely mesmerizing.
  2. The Line of Best Fit
    Jun 9, 2014
    90
    It’s phenomenally exciting to have that sense of danger back in music. It’s subtle, malevolent and utterly charming noise, and if Glass Animals turned out to be buttering you up with a cannibalistic lick of the lips, you’d let them gnaw away.
  3. Clash Music
    Jul 16, 2014
    80
    Zaba is blessed with musical facets that will blind you with their splendour.
  4. Under The Radar
    Jun 9, 2014
    75
    It's sleek, sexy, and irrefutably odd.
  5. AllMusic
    Jul 21, 2014
    70
    An equally strange and sexy debut, Zaba's most audacious moments suggest Glass Animals will be an even more compelling act next time around.
  6. The Quietus
    Jun 20, 2014
    70
    Glass Animals sound like they are on the cusp of everything. There's a gap between their vocabulary and their sound, their choruses and their intros, their obvious intelligence and what they've produced.
  7. Drowned In Sound
    Jun 10, 2014
    50
    Whilst Glass Animals excel at sustaining mood all that effort never really builds to any kind of release, just ultimately fading away beneath a queasy drape of melody and a frustrating sense of unfulfilment.

See all 12 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Emungee
    Dec 6, 2015
    10
    Literally my favorite album of this past year of my life. I feel like it has so, so much to it. The depth of everything they say in it. FromLiterally my favorite album of this past year of my life. I feel like it has so, so much to it. The depth of everything they say in it. From beginning with a song of revenge and release, to vibrant and arrogant youth, coming to drunken self-destruction, followed by being wild, and concluding with a song that relates to me in so many ways about being wild and outcasted for it. I think that "Jdnt" is incredible, and an incredible conclusion to the whole album saying: "I breath in and sigh, you can't breath without me," showing that there are two sides of every coin, and that is something we all have to accept. Plus, the trippy nature of the whole album is absolutely mesmerizing. You can really hear the hip-hop background, the crazy synth sounds. All in all, just absolutely incredible! Thank you so much Glass Animals!!!… Expand
  2. gabrielfobia
    Sep 10, 2016
    10
    The uniqueness of this album is tremendous. While you can heart that soft voice, there is a lot of information but you can manage time toThe uniqueness of this album is tremendous. While you can heart that soft voice, there is a lot of information but you can manage time to everything. It's so well-produced it scares me, and it calls for so many references. Truly piece of art.… Expand
  4. ininja200
    Aug 25, 2016
    9
    Zaba is a very unique album. And I don't mean unique within the small scope Hip Hop, R&B or Pop, but wholly unique. The sounds and theZaba is a very unique album. And I don't mean unique within the small scope Hip Hop, R&B or Pop, but wholly unique. The sounds and the textures of the songs feels like nothing else; it's like you're wandering through a mysterious jungle on an alien planet while something massive watches you from afar, waiting. And that metaphorical monster pounces at the end of nearly every song on Zaba, with each song taking its sweet time in its own way, eventually exploding or at the very least evolving into something even more interesting. The drum beats are incredibly distinctive (one of the many things lacking from GA's newest effort, How To Be A Human Being), lending a subtly different feel to each track. Dave Bayley's voice leads the band through 11 bangers, the instruments orbiting around him as he croons through the bushes, a constant rock of guidance throughout the album.
    On the negative front, I've heard many complaints about the album feeling "samey" by the end. That's just about the one negative argument I can lend any credence to, but I feel there's a difference between all the songs being the same, and just having a "sound." That "sameness" you hear between songs IS the sound of Glass Animals, and it's fleshed out and explored EXTENSIVELY across these 11 tracks. But the more you listen, the more the differences stick out. It's a **** knock-out of a debut album, sporting catchy-yet-weird-as-hell tunes and esoteric, engaging lyrics that border on abstract poetry, along with that special Glass Animals swagger. It's cool because it doesn't even need to try to be. Zaba is Glass Animals, through and through. It kicked my ass, and it'll kick your ass too.    … Expand
  5. OsianLewisBlog
    Aug 23, 2014
    8
    http://osianlewis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/glass-animals-zabba-review-great-and.html

    Read my review here. 'Glass Animals 'ZABA' Review: A    http://osianlewis.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/glass-animals-zabba-review-great-and.html

    Read my review here. 'Glass Animals 'ZABA' Review: A Great and Groovy Odyssey into Psychedelic Indie'    … Expand
  6. cnally13
    Jun 13, 2014
    8
    Totally worth a million listens. It gets a bit same-y by the end of it but if you just want to listen to the album in halves, that worksTotally worth a million listens. It gets a bit same-y by the end of it but if you just want to listen to the album in halves, that works pretty well. Plus Gooey is the early contender for "Song of Late Spring"… Expand
  7. plushcollector
    Feb 28, 2022
    8
    Their worst album, but still has some amazing songs.
    Best: Hazey and Gooey
    Worst: Intruxx and JDNT
  8. MacsMusic
    Apr 9, 2018
    7
    To me, Zaba is nearly as interesting or accessible as How To Be A Human Being. On Zaba, most of the songs sound pretty similar to each other,To me, Zaba is nearly as interesting or accessible as How To Be A Human Being. On Zaba, most of the songs sound pretty similar to each other, unlike Human, which has lots of musical diversity. The lyrics on Zaba are also more abstract and strange than the ones on Human, and less enjoyable as a result. The two things I really look for in a great album are musical diversity within the album and originality. This album has plenty of originality, seeping though the strange lyrics, music, and seductive, interesting vocals. The production on Zaba is AAA throughout, but lacks diversity from songs to song. I don't love the lyrics on this album, but I don't hate them either. They serve their purpose - creating an exotic jungle vibe - well, but do little else. The vocals on this album are also AAA, and one of Zaba's best elements. "Pools" is an awesome song, with great music. Zaba is extremely well-produced, but not as enjoyable or appealing as How To Be A Human Being.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

17
#17 Most Shared Album of 2014

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