Squirrel Nut Zippers, Lost At Sea

By J Howell

Live records can be dicey propositions. All too often, in attempting to capture the exhilaration of “being there,” live albums fall flat, sounding muddy, noisy, and altogether bad. There are the rare exceptions, though, and while it’s not quite perfect, Squirrel Nut Zippers’ live return from a nine-year hiatus is one of the better live records in recent memory.

For the most part, it seems the Zippers haven’t lost much during their absence. There’s nothing new here in the way of material, aside from “You Are My Radio,” so if you liked the band before, there’s a lot to love here; and if you missed out on them before, this record would make a lovely introduction as it includes songs from all of the band’s prior records.

Speaking of their prior records, it’s unfortunate that in the ’90s the Zippers were often lumped into the “Swing Revival” genre, considering that swing was just a small part of their repertoire, and they were always much better than many of the other bands mining superficially similar territory at the time. While there are clear influences of Swing, Dixieland, Gypsy Jazz, Blues, and Klezmer, it’s hard to not get a feeling of the band’s inherent Southern-ness listening to Lost At Sea.

Maybe it’s just because I’m a Southerner myself (and just returned to the Midwest from a short vacation in New Orleans), maybe it’s Jimbo Mathus’ voice, or maybe it’s just a mnemonic association based on knowing the Zippers were fond of recording in New Orleans, but somehow this music feels like it could’ve only (and indeed did) come from the South. There’s a certain mix of astounding musicianship delivered with a somewhat loose feel that sounds kind of hot and humid. It’s a difficult thing to describe if you’ve never been there, but thankfully it’s not a prerequisite to enjoying the music here. (For more stories about the band’s recording experiences in New Orleans, complete with ghost stories, read this entertaining article from Indy Week.)

With 17 songs, there’s plenty to enjoy here, and the record does a respectable job of delivering that sense of being there. There are neither clear highlights nor any songs that drag, which is remarkable. For the most part, the sound is clear; though compared to a studio recording, there are spots where you can hear, for instance, someone not quite facing the mic at the start of a vocal phrase here or the horns blurring a bit there. Which is, in all fairness, pretty representative of seeing a band live.

One thing I did notice when listening to Lost At Sea: the environment you’re listening in makes a difference. The record sounds great in open air at home, fine on headphones, but for some reason just didn’t quite sound right in my car. Another thing I couldn’t help but feel listening to this record is that, while the songs are great individually, it loses something if not taken as a whole. There’s a definite sense of pacing and flow from one song to the next that makes listening to a couple of tracks at a time somehow less satisfying.

For listeners only familiar with “Hell” or “Put A Lid On It,” the band’s breakthrough hits from the ’90s, Lost At Sea could be pretty revelatory. While both of those songs are presented here and sound just as great as they did (Gasp! Really?!) 14 years ago, Squirrel Nut Zippers have so many more tricks up their sleeves that it’s almost a shame that many listeners only know those two. Lost At Sea finds the band just as brazen, energetic, and fun as they ever were. Lost At Sea is definitely “good enough for Grandad, and good enough for me.”

Lost At Sea was released on October 27. Squirrel Nut Zippers are currently touring and have a new record planned for next year. Check their Official Site or MySpace page for details.