Austin Sound

It’s a beautiful thing when your idols personally help you craft your sound, almost like an extension of the original influence while injecting it with your own distinct style. The Zest of Yore’s latest album, Quality of Life, is an excellent case in point, the local quartet receiving a guiding hand in production and some added fretwork from Guided By Voices guitarist Doug Gillard. The group delivers a delicious dose of power pop, with super hooks and quirky flavor largely imparted by frontman Stephen Pierce nasally lilting voice. You can catch a stripped down version of the band this Saturday, Nov. 15, at the new Snake Eyes Vinyl store located at the corner of 11th and Navasota (1101 Navasota Suite 3). Also on the bill are The Kyle Sowashes and Cocker Spaniels.

It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that Zest of Yore has a shrine dedicated to Robert Pollard. The Guided By Voices influence permeates every aspect of their new record Quality Of Life (down to the liner notes - Doug Gillard of GBV produced and played on some of the tracks). There is a difference, however, between a band that is unoriginal and one that simply wears their influences proudly. Zest Of Yore is definitely the latter, taking the best schizophrenic-pop elements of GBV records like Alien Lanes and Isolation Drills, and mixing in their own sweet-voiced, jangley guitar-pop. The result is a sound wholly their own - a sound built on unpredictable melodies and structural weirdness, but one that never strays too far from the traditional rock aesthetic (think of the power pop giants of yesteryear like The Knack, Big Star, The Replacements, and so on).

We’ve been anticipating Zest of Yore’s new album for a while now. The quartet, transplanted to Austin from Denton, should have it released next year, but in the meantime, here’s a holiday song the group recorded several years ago that we wanted to include in this year’s rundown of local Christmas tunes.

“Admit That It’s Christmas” is a nice little slice of pop propped up by Stephen Pierce’s sweet voice and a killer, scratchy guitar solo. And no, we’re not above snickering at the line “Dangling our balls from the Christmas Tree.”