The Zombies, “Different Game”

The Zombies‘ first hit, “She’s Not There,” topped the charts at the end of 1964. Their masterpiece, Odessey and Oracle, featuring the classic “Time of the Season,” came four years later. The two original members who are still with the band full time, keyboardist and songwriter Rod Argent and lead singer Colin Blunstone, are both 77 years old. The band itself is a year older than the Rolling Stones!

All that is to say that releasing a new album, Different Game, more than 60 years later is a feat in and of itself. Not a lot of bands make it that long, let alone are still making new music. But even more amazing? The music is pretty good. Most legacy acts end up graded on a curve, but in the Zombies’ case, that’s not even strictly necessary.

A big part of that is because Blunstone’s voice still sounds pretty shockingly close to how it did over half a century ago. In fact, it sounds nearly identical when listening to the old and new albums back to back; the changes to his voice with age sounding pretty strikingly similar to the artifacts of early ’60s recording technology.

The vocals on “Run Away,” for example, are in the exact same voice as songs from the ’60s. It’s uncanny. Nobody’s voice is supposed to hold up for that long without some change in pitch, at least a little roughness around the edges and other very normal changes over time. Whatever Blunstone’s secret is, he should find a way to bottle it and sell it.

Equally consistent is Argent’s songwriting prowess. He hasn’t lost a step; the songs on Different Game could have been off either of the two albums from the original run, or from their early aughts (after the Zombies’ second reunion).

The title track, which opens the album, is a perfect example. The vibe and arrangement, with strings and electric organ, are straight out of the band’s heyday. It’s great to hear one of the originators of psychedelic pop still making new music in that style.

It could be argued that the Zombies’ consistency in songwriting is a mark against them, bespeaking a lack of evolution. Music is very different now than when the band first appeared on the scene. But it could also be said they were so ahead of their time that their brand of baroque psychedelia hasn’t really been surpassed by the bands they eventually influenced. “Dropped Reeling and Stupid” could be a Silversun Pickups song with a synth as the lead instrument rather than a guitar, or “Got To Move On” could be a Flaming Lips song with a harmonica and more polished vocals.

There are a couple curveballs, though. “Rediscover” has the vibe of a ’50s doo-wop tune, complete with vocal harmonies. “Merry-Go-Round” sounds like a song by Argent, Rod Argent’s post-Zombies band in the ’70s, best known for “Hold Your Head Up.” Argent was not The Zombies, but it’s nice for that feel to get some attention.

There’s also a diversity within The Zombies’ usual oeuvre. “Love You” has more of a folk feel, while “I Want To Fly” is symphonic with a heavy emphasis on strings. The album’s finale, “The Sun Will Rise Again,” is an understated, emotional and vocal-driven entry.

Even with all the similarities to their early output, Different Game does lack the clear standout song that their self-titled debut had with “She’s Not There” and Odessey with “Time of the Season.” Is it fair to knock them for lacking a song so good it remains in the cultural zeitgeist more than half a century later? No, not really. Most bands never do that once in their careers. But once a band does set that standard, it’s impossible to ignore it. After all, would those two albums have been what they are without those two songs?

If you’re a fan of the music of the ’60s, though, Different Game is like finding a lost album by one of the greats of the era. It may not break much new ground musically, but it’s more of what you love in an era where you don’t hear much of this style of music anymore, and that’s pretty great.

Follow publisher Daniel J. Willis at Twitter.com/BayAreaData.