Outside Pedestrian – Time Zones (Album Review)

A blend of rock and jazz—here’s what comes when you talk about Outside Pedestrians. A band founded by Anthony Fesmire and David Lockeretz, who usually showcase their signature blend of genres, comes with a full-in drop of their fourth album, Time Zones. The group is already known for presenting ever-changing sonic landscapes that display an unpredictable mixture of chord progressions and striking melodies, and the new record is no exception.

At 40 minutes and 9 tracks, the record certainly finds a nice middle ground; it is not exactly short, but not a full-length, tiresome album either.

After having already become somewhat acquainted with the music of David Lockeretz and his single series, Number 4 Train, I came to expect some sophisticated yet smooth and passionate tunes. The music feels welcoming yet carries a mysterious touch. So let’s see whether my expectations were met.

Time Zones, from the first seconds, reminds me of what would happen if we mixed Funkadelic’s Maggot Brain with some records from Slowdive. This mixture of haziness and those dreamy walls of sound on tracks like “Seven Four” and a bouncy, slightly hectic energy from “Wicked Chester” gives you a truly charismatic output.

I like how the artist intentionally started the album so calmly and monumentally that it easily transitions into the continuation of the narrative. With this sense of powerful evolution, with dramatic and dynamic kicks in production, the album constantly delivers a punch, particularly on the track “Messenger”.

However, don’t think that the album avoids fully rough and raw sounds at times. While the band’s tendency to soften the tone with perfectly rhythmic and jazzy instrumentals gives each track a breathy atmosphere, the incorporation of hard guitar chords is no exception here. On the track “Rogues’ Gallery”, that strong and potent guitar chord feels as if it is driving the whole track, adding that sudden and intrusive rhythm.

Due to the album being wordless, the instrumentation and the continuous build-ups are the only creators of emotion throughout the record. Continuous tension and release on the majority of the tracks give you a perfect build-up with a resolution that feels so satisfying. The record feels quite improvisational in its dynamics, as none of the tracks repeat exactly the same path; each one develops in its own lane, whether it is the hectic, all-over-the-place sound or the more concentrated, bittersweet tone.

I feel that the artists dominate more when they opt for a brooding aesthetic within their records. With a track title like “Slowly Falling”, the artist ideally captures the evoked feeling. It feels as if the sound gradually builds and stretches out into a nostalgic, slightly tense atmosphere. These purposeful evolutions on the album, when the artists explicitly address the emotional factor of the song, seem to work out the best.

While I still favor the mix between fast-paced dynamics and then the sudden transition to a smoother flow, I think that this chaotic structure complements them, though it doesn’t fully capture their essence.

Time Zones feel complex and mysterious, as one would expect. On one side, you get some crazy, punchy sounds that feel so tightly sequenced; on the other, some murky and hypnotic ones that feel quite dreamy. Despite this mixture of sounds—and the album’s frank diversity being an advantage—the record does feel a bit too long.

It has a certain perfection to it which certainly appeals to a particular audience of enjoyers. However, some of the soundscapes feel less organic and authentic, making them seem slightly less original in the context of the album. While some tracks clearly have that “fire” and charm, others just lack it and turn out to be nothing more than quality tracks.

Score/Excellent: Even though the record is extremely well-produced at certain moments, it feels as if it blends parts of previous tracks a bit too much. I think the band has delivered a nice album which is a very pleasant listen and speaks the language of quality to you. However, despite minor problems like the length, and fewer exciting turns closer to the end (except “Tricky Lp” ), the record earns an Excellent rating.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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