The louder, more energetic tracks are the one's that truly capture your imagination. "In Came the Flood" features a "Heroes"-like guitar line and a strong tumbling beat. "Resuscitate" wraps up with a spit-shined Sonic Youth-esque experimental journey. That's repeated throughout the cacophonous "Unzipper".
Wintersleep strike a sweet balance on "Rapture". It's a slick pop rock number with just a hint of fuzz to make it more sophisticated. "Nothing Is Anything (Without You)" comes close as well. Starting as a rather run-of-the-mill modern rock ballad, it builds and builds momentum and tension until they loose control.
The most novel track is "Someone-Somehwere". Beginning as a trippy doo-wop number, the songs sails off into the horizon as it morphs into a futuristic sock hop.
Hello Hum is not a perfect record however (very few are). The mid-tempo "Permanent Sigh" never fully realizes the potential of its grinding beat. "Saving Song" is gauzy and dull, while the album closer "Smoke" is a pleasant melody, but pedestrian in pace.
Wintersleep play Lee's Palace in Toronto on June 12th.
Best tracks: "Resuscitate", "Unzipper"
Track listing for Hello Hum:
- Hum
- In Came the Flood
- Nothing Is Anything (Without You)
- Resuscitate
- Permanent Sigh
- Saving Song
- Rapture
- Unzipper
- Someone-Somewhere
- Zones
- Smoke
7.0/10
2 comments:
Great listening! It's been amazing to hear the progression of this band from one album to the next. I do admit that, like so many other Wintersleep fans, I miss Paul's grainy voice from the first two or three albums. But I think my taste in music has been evolving with Wintersleep's style and I quite enjoy Hello Hum from beginning to end. Great work guys. Keep it up.
Hello Hum follows down the same path as New Inheritors a path of disappointment, Their rock roots forgotten. A happy neutered pop sound replacing the melodic intense musical journey of the first two albums and majority of WTTNS. A great effort however they have changed their platform so drastically to appeal to the masses I no longer identify with this band.
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