"In places, the way Mann's voice soars and flutters is reminiscent of the late Jeff Buckley's final recordings with Tom Verlaine. But it's his guitar work, backed by Mike Talbot on bass and Blair Trigg on drums, that gives the music the kind of abraded texturing that some people call post-punk--think Yo La Tengo uncomfortably transplanted to Cre...
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"In places, the way Mann's voice soars and flutters is reminiscent of the late Jeff Buckley's final recordings with Tom Verlaine. But it's his guitar work, backed by Mike Talbot on bass and Blair Trigg on drums, that gives the music the kind of abraded texturing that some people call post-punk--think Yo La Tengo uncomfortably transplanted to Creedence Clearwater country."
"Swell Maps"
by Jackson Griffith
Sacramento News + Review, October 2003
"As far as dramatic arcs were concerned, The Zim-Zims had them. Singer-guitarist Jake Mann had a way of leaning into the mic and whispering conspiratorily, as though he were making the audience his accomplice. He delivered lyrics like they were a sorrowful mystery he only knew the half of, evoking the sultry vocalizations of Morphine's Mark Sandman. Drummer Teddy Briggs, on the other hand, brought to mind Dennis the Menace in the throes of a psychotic episode. One look at Briggs' drummer faces par excellence lightened the mood. On the reals, though, drummers are a breed apart, especially if they're good. The Zim-Zims are a rhythmically tight machine, sounding like a harder rocking version of the Feelies in their less-contemplative moments."
"Local Live, Zim-Zims at Hemlock Tavern"
by Duncan Scott Davidson
San Francisco Bay Guardian, August 2004
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