zZz

Leave it to the Amsterdam underground to come up with a sleazy, hard-chugging duo that combines a bombastic and bellowing drummer with an abusive, psychedelic pump organist. Meet Björn Ottenheim and Daan Schinkel, bellower and organ bully, respectively, whose riotous live sets channel the less cornball antics of Jim Morrison into a focused freak attack. Somewhere between the nocturnal menace of the Stranglers and the glitchy electro of the Voodoo Organist, zZz produces a monstrous sound from a surprisingly minimal configuration. Listening to the pair's latest studio effort, Sound of zZz, reveals a deep appreciation for surf beats, go-go music, Booker T.-era soul, and any old analog source that produces good, muddy distortion. Whether they're berating global dominance ("Uncle Sam") or mangling church hymns with helicopter sound effects ("House of Sin"), Ottenheim and Schinkel take the red-light district back to its pre-Starbucks heyday -- when hash bars and hustlers embraced tourists out for an otherwise simple night of Dutch courage.