Zanilonia – “Close To The Bone”

Zanilonia – “Close To The Bone” – Single Review

I have had many experiences in listening to David Zee’s music where I ponder what the heck it must be like to live a day in the life of this man’s shoes.  He’s just different y’all…and if you know, you know.  I have no idea of doing what he does in Zanilonia is his primary function or qualifies as his day job, but regardless of what anyone might think about any given tune, the dude has a genuine place in this world as an entertainer.  It’s some of that like…cult-like entertainment for sure, but last I checked that qualifies and there’s a massive audience out there that looks forward to…the inexplicable?  The art and music that defies description?  Those moments in time where you see or hear something and immediately wonder what the heck you just watched or listened to?  David is all of these things, and all of the time.

Don’t go askin’ me to make sense outta him, because I cannot for the life of me, do that.  He’s a true enigma…but I suspect he knows that and has embraced that long ago.  I doubt that even those closest to him would be able to explain what David is like to others…he is literally the kind of person that you have to see to believe.  Thankfully, he’s always willing to get in front of the camera and make a video for ya, so that we have some modicum of understanding…because I don’t think just hearing a song like “Close To The Bone” would be quite enough to ‘get it’ – you dig?  You need to see that this is a real man, doing real things, and loving every minute of what he’s doing.  I’ll fully admit, I’ve had moments where I’ve enjoyed listening to Zanilonia, I’ve had moments where I’ve felt the joke has gone right over my head or wondered if he’s been playing it straight the whole time, and I’ve had moments where it just didn’t hit the mark for me at all over the years – but I’ve never stopped appreciating the guy’s passion for what he does.  I don’t mind “Close To The Bone” – it’s a decent enough tune – but when you add in the entirely unhinged video for it, I think he’s got genuinely undeniable entertainment value with this single.  It’s still gonna belong in the cult section, nestled somewhere in between the work of titans like John Waters and David Byrne…but c’mon y’all – those are LEGENDARY names that crafted a career and blazed their own trail.  I might not always understand what the heck Zee or Zanilonia is up to next, but he belongs in the same conversation as those same artistic giants, of which I’m sure he admires and looks up to as well.

So…now that you’ve pushed play, you can see/hear what I’m talkin’ about, right?  Weird?  Wacky?  Impossible to explain, ain’t it?  Swinging skeletons, bangin’ on electronic drums with femurs, tossing a skull around in the backyard for a good game of catch…all intertwined with a bunch of old-school horror footage…heavy synth riffs…a dancing skeleton lady…I mean…what are we really to make of all this?  As far as I know, this was essentially created as a Halloween song…or at least, I feel like that’s implied with the message of “HAPPY HALLOWEEN” that comes along with the video at YouTube – but there’s no reason you couldn’t play this all year long if you dig what you hear…I won’t snitch on ya.  Am I going to be the guy to play this 365?  Probably not…but that’s okay – I still recognize that music like Zanilonia makes has a place in this world.  For real – it might seem altogether zany to the vast majority of you out there tuning in and checking it out, but I assure you, as a guy that worked in a video store for about a quarter of his life, there is an endless amount of people out there that absolutely love this kind of stuff.

Honestly, if you dissect the main riff of David’s synth in the music, it’s not only fairly complex to play, but it’s actually pretty damn cool to listen to.  That’s my take on the music part of this single, and I feel like that’s probably its most positive attribute.  Vocally…I’ll be truthful with ya…his tone is right on target when it comes right down to it – but for myself personally, it was the structuring & staggered metering that wasn’t my favorite approach…it just feels a little too rigid in the verses, in my opinion.  It’s all done on purpose mind you; it’s just a stylistic decision that didn’t personally resonate with me is all.  As far as the chorus is concerned, when David allows himself a bit more space to move and the melody flows a bit more freely…I’m cool with that…that worked well.  The looser he got, the more success I felt he had in drawing us in to listen…but I have no doubt that he conquered what he set out to do in both scenarios.  That’s the thing about stylized choices…you’ve kinda gotta live and die by the sword when you go that route…some folks are gonna get it, and others are gonna be thrown for a loop or two.  I appreciate that he’s able to achieve what he sets out to do, and I admire the fact that he’s willing to go his own way.  As to whether or not that directly equates to music everyone’s going to listen to…that’s probably beside the point to a degree.  I think he’s happy enough playing his music for those that get it, and if he happens to reach a couple more people along the way, they’re always more than welcome to join in on the fun.  Because that’s ultimately what he’s going for – fun.  Critics like myself can so easily get wrapped up in talking about this or that…which is fair, it’s what we do…but we do forget that so much of what music is all about is having fun too.  So go with it and see what you think…turn it up…embrace your inner child & watch a proudly silly song/video from Zanilonia, if only to find out if something inherently bizarre like “Close To The Bone” is something you might just enjoy.  You’ll never know unless you try it, right?

Find out more about Zanilonia from the official website at:  https://zanilonia.com

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