This is a split EP from two very different Undergroove Records artists, one I’ve heard of and the other I haven’t. I’ve never heard of 27 at all but apparently it won’t be long before they’re releasing their 2 nd album. Twin Zero on the other hand I’m familiar with because I have heard bits of their debut ‘Monolith’ which was released earlier this year to universal critical acclaim. The Twin Zero album showcased a ballsy and full-on Prog-Metal sound that definitely wet my appetite to hear more from this band. So after that, it seems strange that the same band who have songs as powerful as ‘Earthbound’ would be involved in a release as laid back as this one.
27 start things off with their own brand of soft rock/dark pop, which really does sound quite beautiful in the piano led opener ‘Half Life (Half)’. Maria Christopher’s vocals suit the track perfectly and it makes for a track so emotional that it could easily be used in one of the sadder moments of The O.C. Their second track ‘Downfall Of The Upright’ isn’t as easy listening and lets 27’s half of the split down a bit. Although I’m not sure if you can say that 27 actually have half of this split considering that Twin Zero’s two songs total over 15 minutes in length. Their first song ‘In Sha’ Allah’ is an ok acoustic number that would be a hell of a lot better if it wasn’t for the wailing vocals in the background which lasts for the entire 6 minutes of the song. Their second track ‘Monolith (Reprise)’, which is a stripped down version of one of the bands old songs, fares a lot better and is an entertaining nine-minute epic piece of prog rock which features just piano and vocals for the most part of the song and is a stunning piece of music.
The EP ends on the title track ‘27:00’ which sees the two bands combined in what is essentially a remix which combines parts of all four songs and really does create a stunning finale to this disc. This EP isn’t all brilliant, both bands have one song, which easily outshines their other one and the final track is a real highlight too. Now I have to admit that when I first listened to this CD that I hated it but you really do need to be in the right mindset to listen to this EP. This is music to chill out to, don’t stick it on a 9pm on a Saturday night when you’re getting ready to go out and get crunked. If you like to sit down and really get into and appreciate what your listening to then you should get hold of this EP and do it quick as they only pressed 1000 of them.
  
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