"I think Zodiac is the byproduct of putting out one record per year," says vocalist Dick Valentine. "I think we keep ourselves so busy that we don't spend a lot of time overanalyzing what we do. So when we happen to make a record that hits on all cylinders like this one, it's immediately noticeable that we've taken a step forward."
Without losing any of its trademark sardonic sense of humor and funk/dance rock core, Electric Six have crafted an album whose cohesion is evident from the first listen and one of which the band is especially proud. "Creating this album was a little different in that we consciously tried to go for the 'Neil Diamond' approach on a couple of the songs," Dick explains, in reference to their songwriting, especially "Table and Chairs" and "I Am a Song". "I think the rest of the album didn't really veer from the methodology we have been using lately to make albums. It should be said that [lead guitarist] Johnny Na$hinal and Smogasbord wrote some of the best tracks on this record."
Tracks like the funk-heavy "American Cheese", the herky jerky dance rock of "Jam It In the Hole", and the loungy acoustic pop of "Table and Chairs", Zodiac, like its astrological namesake, appropriately contains twelve songs, each with personality traits all its own. "We don't believe in that horsesh*t," he says of the title. "The actual reason is that one of the songs we discarded from the record is called 'Typical Sagittarius.' It was a good song, but in the end, too corny... even for us. I like that the song was the impetus for us to name the record Zodiac and then we didn't even put it on the record."
Also included on the album is "Rubberband Man," their first cover since 2005's remake of Queen's "Radio Gaga". Originally recorded by legendary R&B band (and fellow Detroit natives) The Spinners, the song recalls a special memory for Valentine. "I've always loved the song and I've felt for a long time that our band could pull it off," he muses. "The first time I remember being cognizant of it was the mud wrestling scene from [the Bill Murray film] Stripes. I don't think anyone in our band is a rabid fan of Motown, per se, but I've always felt The Spinners kind of stood out in that they had much poppier songs than a lot of other acts in that genre." Electric Six's cover is a faithful remake that, unironically, speaks quite appropriately about Zodiac. "Hey, y'all, prepare yourself for the rubberband man / You've never heard a sound like the rubberband man / You're bound to lose control when the rubberband starts to jam."
Electric Six is Dick Valentine (vocals), The Colonel (guitar), Johnny Na$hinal (guitar), Smorgasbord (bass), Tait Nucleus? (synths) and Percussion World (drums). Their seventh album, Zodiac, was produced by Zach Shipps and will be released on Metropolis Records on September 28, 2010.
