Hum - Downward Is Heavenward

Thanksgiving is coming up! I'm really looking forward to a weekend at home. I'm going to eat till I puke, play some guitar, hang out with family & friends, and probably drink till I puke a second time. What more could a guy ask for?

I have work I should be doing, so I'm going to make this really quick.

Today's album: Hum - Downward is Heavenward

Genre: Alternative Rock, Grunge
Released: 1997
Running time: 10 tracks, 52:04
In a nutshell: Grunge astronauts rock the fuck out!!

The 90's is definitely my favorite decade for rock (the 70's being a close second), probably because of all the left turns the genre took. The departure from blues-based, guitar-hero antics really allowed artists to explore the rock format to its fullest extremes. Bands like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine pioneered new soundscapes of guitar noise, while other talents such as Billy Corgan developed them into chart-topping pop. Meanwhile, self-proclaimed pariahs criticized society on behalf of a new, directionless generation; Kurt Cobain did so rather abrasively, Billy Joe used a mix of humor and lust, and Brad Nowell...well, his death illustrated a sort of wise complacency that cast his songwriting in a similar light.

So that was what 90's rock looked like, and while Hum doesn't look any different, they definitely found a unique niche for themselves. Mixing the distortion and drive of grunge with shoegaze drones, and even some metal technicality, at times they seem like the best of all worlds. Hum departs from stereotypical 90's rock with lyrical content and vocal style. For the most part, these songs are introspective in a way that comes off as either peaceful or melancholy, but never angry or frustrated. This is strange because singer Matt Talbott shows he can muster a fairly powerful Cobain-growl when he feels like it, which isn't often. Usually, he sings plainly, almost dispassionately, while his band pounds and roars behind him. The overall effect is quite unique, even if the components aren't.