Zedd- Clarity (ToXiK Review)

When you hear Zedd’s name the first thing that may come to mind is that hard electro sound that we have gotten used to, such as his remix to Swedish House Mafia’s “Save the World” and Skrillex’s “Breakin a Sweat”. When it comes to his album “Clarity” he went for something more then you would just hear at a club. The 45 minute album is just that…an actual album. Zedd took it to another level with this one and produced 10 songs that will do more than just make you dance (although it will do that too), it provokes emotion. The album is mixed from beginning to end and actually had me checking my iPod constantly because it was mixed so flawlessly and I couldn’t even recognize the transitions. “Clarity” has something for every mood and is truly capable of making anyone a fan of EDM because of its relatability. Here is my track by track breakdown of Zedd’s “Clarity”

1. Hourglass (feat. Liz)

A great opening track. Feels likes the beginning of a journey with the clock ticking and melodic piano solo. Liz has an amazing voice and it’s showcased here in this track. At two minutes in it drops into an electro progressive drop with Liz’ vocals laced on top of it. Great track to set the tone for the rest of the album as you hear the melody to “Shave It Up” coming in during the last minute of the song.

2. Shave It Up

Immediately starts with the a man saying “shave it up” and drops into a hard grungy bassline that we’ve come to love from Zedd. This is one of the songs that helped put Zedd on the map and it’s good to see he added it to the album.

3. Spectrum (feat. Matthew Koma)

If you’ve gone to any festivals this year, chances are you’ve heard this song in some sort of fashion. Zedd opened with the congorock remix at Electric Zoo this year before destroying the crowd. This song has radio success written all over. This is a great track for people who still aren’t too sure if EDM is for them. Great lyrics with the beat to match.

4. Lost At Sea (feat. Ryan Tedder)

Ryan Tedder made his splash into the EDM scene with his vocals over Alesso and Sebastian Ingrosso’s “Calling (Lose My Mind)”. This track is all about the message Ryan Tedder is sending over Zedd’s progressive beat. A very uplifting love song with some funky distortion in the background. We look forward to hearing more from Ryan Tedder on future tracks.

5. Clarity (feat. Foxes)

This song is simply POWERFUL! Foxes lyrics do nothing but put you in her place making you feel as if you are shouting from the top of a mountain. A strong break-up song that could definitely help you through some tough times (that is what music is for isn’t it?). An epic build-up before the last drop to make you feel it even more. If this song never makes it to the radio I’d be completely shocked.

6. Codec

A change of pace from three songs before it. Starts off with that grungy bassline into a distortion fueled build up. With almost a standard Zedd drop but the second build up is where this song is taken to the next level. Vocal chopping that even Skrillex would be jealous of laced with a violin in the background and a great build up. The best parts of this song lay in the build-up and breakdown.

7. Stache

If you aren’t looking at your mp3 player you might miss the transition from “Codec” into “Stache” but that’s soon thrown out the window once this massive song drops. Using that classic acid house sound that I personally have always loved with some dubstep elements makes this a song one to look out for when you’re hitting the clubs. This song has so many layers and is just beautiful.

8. Fall Into The Sky (feat. Ellie Goulding)

Let’s be honest when is the last time you heard a bad song from Ellie Goulding!? Starting with Ellie’s vocals you would think this song is going to be another progressive song with her in it, but then it drops into a massive electro drop followed by another epic build up from Zedd going into the next drop where he actually sampled 5o cent’s “go” from “In Da Club”. Another great track.

9. Follow You Down (feat. Bright Lights)

This progressive gem is a strong song about companionship with another great vocalist in Bright Lights. This is one of the more mellow songs on the album and you can almost feel that the album is coming to the end of the journey with this song.

10. Epos

Epos- A number of poems that treat an epic theme but are not formally united. Certainly a proper title for the closing track on this album. A beautiful progressive song to end with, closing with that familiar clock ticking that you heard at the beginning of the album about 45 minutes prior.

Whether you’re crazy in love, just had a break-up or you just want to dance, this album has it all. This album just may be considered a classic EDM album, but we’ll leave that up to you to determine. Below is the link to purchase “Clarity” via iTunes and 2 of his newest videos from the album. Also be sure to get your free copy of the song “Clarity” (feat. Foxes) via the iTunes link (it says free next to the song, just click that button).

My Final Verdict: 9.8/10

Here is the link to purchase the album via iTunes: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/clarity/id565825194

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