Thoughts on hum?

Coming to Hum from shoegaze, I was disappointed. I was hoping for America's answer to MBV or Ride--turns out lovesliescrushing was the former, and I'm still looking for the latter (tell me if you've found it, and yes, I've already heard Drop Nineteens--wasn't impressed). In any case I always thought the songs were a little too weak to support the tinny, indie-metal guitars, but I don't want to write them off completely by any means, having not heard enough of them to speak from any real experience.

Check out ex-Hum guitarist's project Glifted too. More of those heavy fucking guitars,much less pop.

Quite an underrated band indeed.. Those vocals are sometimes a rather grating, though.

"Downward is Heavenward" is the bomb. Especially the 1st and last tracks. That guitar sound is out of this world, like Siamese Dream times 10.

-- fizzcaraldo (Justin M), Tuesday, September 27, 2005 4:23 AM (1 year ago) Bookmark Link

Ah yes...I just heard "Isle of the Cheetah" on shuffle and was all, "FUCK...those guitars, my god." Great guitar sound on that last album; the production on the previous one is disappointing, but Downward Is Heavenward fixed all that...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoeMHoVnjWo

90s hot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hum_(band)

[went through a second drummer before overhearing Bryan St. Pere playing along to a Rush record out of his apartment window and recruiting him.

lol yeah they did

compared to pumpkins or rush who kinda display the drumming more prominently in the mix, hum drums are kinda understated. equally outstanding but easier to overlook.

It looks like the band (and especially one band member, although I'm not sure which one) is angry that an independent vinyl reissuing company re-released You'd Prefer An Astronaut (priced around $30) without any involvement from the band themselves. And so one of the band members set up a store from his house, taking orders and slowly shipping original 90's pressings (worth over $100) for the same price.

If you are to bloom is a great track

I wonder if history might have panned out a little differently for them if the label had opted for "If You Are to Bloom" or "Green to Me" as the first single from DIH instead of "Comin' Home"

anyway I'm listening to You'd Prefer an Astronaut for the first time in forever and it just sounds so good

also I just figured out that the various editions of the art for Deftones' White Pony pay tribute to both Downward is Heavenward and Astronaut.

this concludes my recent Hum findings

it's ridiculous how much Hum sounds like Smashing Pumpkins, with the exception of vocals.

on Stars maybe but I don't really think the rest of the songs on You'd Prefer an Astronaut are that reminiscent

I'm listening to You'd Prefer an Astronaut after like 20 years, and I immediately said-- "holy shit, this sounds just like Smashing Pumpkins." And my wife heard me, and said, "Oh, it's not?"

It's the guitar tone. It's just like Siamese Dream. Listen to the opening track, for example. It sounds insanely similar to "Mayonaise," tonewise AND chordwise.

And I randomly played a few tracks of Downward is Heaven and I could easily see being convinced it was SP if the vocals were taken out, though the drumming might be a clue that it's not.

Soundwise/tonally they existed in a weird Gish/Siamese Dream interzone for sure, albeit with a little more of a metallic kick. The songwriting was not that similar though.

I discovered Hum way after the event.
Really don't know how I missed them.
Great sounds imho

Downward is Heavenward at least is great despite whether it conjures Smashing Pumpkins or not.

I know a couple of big Hum fans, and they have some acute narcissism of small differences about how much the band sounds like Smashing Pumpkins.

YOU TAKE THAT BACK HUM ARE SPECIAL

Sooooo guess what.

http://substreammagazine.com/2015/03/space-rock-pioneers-hum-to-reunite-at-south-by-southwest-for-free-event/

well this happened last year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E-FMeT6rSo

Ah, I had missed that!

Yeah, they've played together a handful of times over the years, but still very cool. Fond memories of them headlining a free outdoor concert in Urbana right as "Stars" was blowing up for them, great show.

Also lol at when Bush played Champaign in 1995 and Gavin Rossdale wore a Hum shirt.

haha! my friend said she went to that show in 1995. She was staying at a hotel and was waiting in the lobby for her friend when Gavin came down and sat near her, striking up a conversation. He eventually took his shirt off, natch

Hey, 1995 me thought 1995 Gavin was super hot, so fair play. But a bit weird in a hotel lobby.

That was the same show where Gwen Stefani told me she loved me and dumped a water bottle on my head.

i remember thinking at the time that i could have predicted that ending before she even told me. lawllll

these two albums are long overdue for a deluxe remaster type deal

also, heard the new Torche today and I bet those guys have spent some time listening to Hum

This thread got me thinking about this band again and in doing a little research found out that there were two albums released before YPAA. Never knew this! Anyone heard these? Worth seeking out?

yeah "electra 2000" rules

i liked it okay in that era but over time it was one of the ones i sold back in some one of many waves of cd hoard purging (keeping 'astronaut' and 'downward'), must have just never felt like playing it for years

also search the "Puppets"/"Aphids" single.

NEW HUM ALBUM https://humband.bandcamp.com/releases

woah

i mean the cover is rainbow bridge so i'm gonna fuck with this

this is such an awesome unexpected gift

i cried a little at the guitar tone

Fantastic news! Trying to decide if I can hold out for the physical version in September. Very doubtful.

Still one of the best shows I saw in college was when these guys headlined an outdoor festival at West Side Park in Champaign in 1996.

i cried a little at the guitar tone

Okay, yep, not gonna be able to hold out.

WHATTTT

WHOA ?!?!?!?!

I'm so excited about this that I can't decide how best to listen to it!!

y'all this album is so good????!?!?!??!?!

this coming out 20 years after White Pony is some beautiful synchronicity

it's super good!

i cried a little at the guitar tone

otm

I guess they now have Shiner's drummer, seems like an appropriate choice

i cried a little at the guitar tone

― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Tuesday, June 23, 2020 9:03 AM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

that opening riff/sound brought a rush of emotions lol

waiting till I can blast this on proper speakers whilst high, that seems like the appropriate and respectful thing to do

this has begun explosively

Nice.

yeah this is extremely heavy, we're talking like angelic process heavy

wow
TY Brad for letting us know

holy shit

holy shit

waiting till I can blast this on proper speakers whilst high, that seems like the appropriate and respectful thing to do

Yeah, it's why I'm holding off for now. I'd love to do this while holding the physical thing in my hand to start at the cover, but since they won't even be shipping until the end of August that seems very... unlikely.

why would you hold off

get stoned right now and pretend you're next to the ocean

why would you hold off

Specifically because for the next five hours at least I am stuck at my work laptop with really shitty speakers. Def not going to experience this for the first time like that. I'll wait until tonight and I can at least stream it to my better speakers.

fair, fair

Liking this so far

Brad is it this weeks album of the year? ;)

yes

it's been ~17 years since I first heard DiH, I can wait another few hours

this album is riff city

its great

tracks 2 and 3 are the pinnacle (maybe 7 too) but yeah

"cloud city" -> "folding"... lysergic guitar bliss

yeah that too i almost threw in cloud city

god though the end of 'in the den'

an ending so powerful they do it again on the next track and it's just as good

relistening to DiH in preparation and it's now obvious to me that Hum are the shane carruth of rock. no I will not be taking questions

Well then, this is a bit oceanic, innit...

they get ross robinson in to produce this thing??

It's reminding me of that last Cave In record, that one that was mostly works-in-progress, but really good.

kind of too bad to lose brian st pere, his neil peart energy was a big part of this band's charm

i want the drums to be . . . bigger? i guess not everything can be big

i really like "the summoning". most impressed by the last half really.

it's actually kind of mellow imo, a few tracks feel laggy tbh but overall it's a .. really cozy security blanket?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Goddamn I am so happy

Step Into You and Cloud City seem like the most classicly Hum songs on this

kind of too bad to lose brian st pere, his neil peart energy was a big part of this band's charm

― j., Tuesday, June 23, 2020 5:12 PM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

He's listed on the Bandcamp fwiw

saw a thing that said they replaced him

from what i can tell, jason gerken of shiner replaced st. pere for a brief period in 2015 but st. pere rejoined?

not sure who's drumming on this record but more likely than not it's st. pere

it's actually kind of mellow imo, a few tracks feel laggy tbh but overall it's a .. really cozy security blanket?

― crystal-brained yogahead (map), Tuesday, June 23, 2020 7:31 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

feeling this. it's heavy but it doesn't really rock out much, which i think is fine? it's more just going for a vibe.

this Hum shit, it ain't for everybody man. it's a motherfucking vibe. it's for motherfuckers that's patient.

(about to play)

is....is that a sax winding through this first song?!

I can already tell this is gonna be a "front to back listens only" album

so many bands have been striving for this and never getting there

has this band gotten more psychedelic or am I just stoned: a memoir

I get a real Slowdive vibe from the first track

"Shapeshifter" is possibly their "Faded"/"Purple Rain"

hold up now, it's been 12 hours

I said possibly!!

Extremely good album indeed.

am I mad or is there possibly Deftones cross-influence on this

i hear it too

been forever since i've listened to hum but this is sounding fantastic

I think "The Summoning" is my fave so far. So heavy, and the fake-out ending is beyond dreamy

I have been craving these tones... excellent news

cloud city >>>>>>

This is fucking fantastic. First song indeed heavy Slowdive/MBV vibes. The Summoning -> Cloud City -> Folding is just *all time*. What a comeback, man.

Genuinely never heard of these before. An Angelic Process reference? I'm in.

Devin Townsend too

How are the vocals on this? That's always kept Hum records at arms length for me, the guitars and landscapes always sounded great but the vocals were like bland cardboard and dragged everything down to earth. Corgan is a pretty divisive voice but you can't deny his vocals add character.

I'm listening now and oh good they've drowned him under enormous floods of guitars.

Sound reminds me of the first My Vitriol album as well, as another possible cross-influence

The vocals are mostly super low-key, very 90s.

no one is listening to Hum for the vox but it is kind of remarkable his voice hasn't changed at all in 20+ years

listening to Shiner's Schadenfreude, their first in 19 years, which is an impressive hiatus in itself! also 8 tracks with most of them on the longer side. kind of mining a similar vibe in spots. pretty good!

I listen for the whole package. Matt Talbot's vox match the songwriting tone - appropriately understated.

Bryan St Pere is definitely playing on this. One reason why they took their time completing the record was due to working around everyone's schedule. I think they only toured in 2015 with the dude from Shiner.

The drumming in "Cloud City" rules pretty hard.

So far this is easily top 10 of the year for me

This is pure comfort food.

The Summoning -> Cloud City -> Folding is just *all time*.

Nailed it

It's kind of cool how you expect the closer to blossom out into oblivion but instead it recedes into something like a Perfect From Now On outtake.

I would really love to call tracks 5-8 "a solid Side B" but I checked and of course this is one of those two-songs-per-side audiophile deals.

i love that they continue to put the running time on the album cover

Don't think I'd heard "Stars" since 120 Mins days, just reminded myself what it sounds like. I should've been into this band!

but it's not too late, this thread suggests :)

"Bryan St Pere is definitely playing on this. "
definitely good news, he was a huge part of why the earlier records were so good. Massive drummer

Ha, I was wondering why the Hum thread suddenly lit up.

kinda surprised there’s this much love here <3

well it's a bit like when Sleep came back, except arguably even more ILM-beloved (and I'd say considerably better too)

considerably better too

Indeed, indeed.

TS: Inlet vs Slowdive

is that the presumed gold standard for shoegaze comebacks eh

we'll need an Avalon Emerson remix to be sure

'considerably better' thirded. It is nice how Hum's last album was from before these borads existed, and now making clear how many ppl here love them.

is that the presumed gold standard for shoegaze comebacks eh

m b v trumps them all tbh – it's best thing they've ever done, as a matter of fact.

haha, nicely saved pom

I quite liked Slowdive's s/t too, give or take a track or two.

how many of the og US gazers have returned is a question

(come back, Swirlies!)

Doesn't matter, just listen to Holy Fawn.

m b v trumps them all tbh – it's best thing they've ever done, as a matter of fact.

― pomenitul, Wednesday, June 24, 2020 8:17 PM (five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Wait wasn't it just last week you said 'This Is Your Bloody Valentine' was their best? Or did I imagine that? Made me blink a couple of times!

lol that wasn't me, no. I've been consistently stanning for m b v and knocking Loveless for years!

Lol, mea maxima culpa! (putting it down to the fever I had last week)

Knocking Loveless for years

Love Loveless but I do love this :D

my recent controversial MBV opinion is that Feed Me With Your Kiss might be their best EP (along with YMMR obv)

anyway, off-topic sorry

Proof:

New Ride

Then again, I may have shitposted about MBV last week without realizing it.

xps

Hardly controversial! xp to lj

I never filed Hum under shoegaze, not in the 90s at least.

Same here (although I discovered Hum in the early 00s).

No, Pom, my mea culpa remains in place. It was this post of yours where I mistook 's/t' for their first w/ the band name in the title. (ab)solved!

i love that this record feels like it's picking up where they left off and yet is very different from downward and astronaut. they've never been quite so dreamy or heavy or groovy

Ah, the fog has lifted. So I did shitpost about MBV last week without realizing it.

xp

i love that this record feels like it's picking up where they left off and yet is very different

Quite literally, I thought; the song on DiH that seems to me to portend this album the closest is "The Scientists"

Yeah it's weird to see Hum slotted in with shoegaze in retrospect (even if it makes COMPLETE sense), because that is not at all how I thought of them back when I was a college sophomore rocking the ringer version of this t-shirt (which I so desperately wish I still had) all over the UIUC campus watching them play at Mabel's.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2235/6075/products/IMG_6178_1280x1280.jpg?v=1516211777

Finally listening to this on good speakers, into "In the Den" right now and I have the biggest fucking grin plastered across my face.

god "desert rambler" is amazing

i know both bands share a lot of history already but the groove on "in the den" is some failure shit, i love it

I had forgotten how large the ilxor Hum contingent was, but absolutely love to see it come out in full force.

in addition to being shoegaze and post-grunge and stoner metal and any number of other things, they also placed at #48 in our emo/post-hardcore poll! versatility, folks

hum bring everyone together

I think it will do well commercially (by, like, Polyvinyl standards) because since the last album came out, at least 1 in 4 Deftones fans have become Hum fans

Neither ho-hum nor humdrum.

since the last album came out, at least 1 in 4 Deftones fans have become Hum fans

― k*r*n koltrane (Simon H.), Wednesday, June 24, 2020 11:43 AM (fifty-six seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

recognizing myself in this post

I'm curious what it will do tbh. Despite the reunion stuff of five years ago or so, there's never been a slow drip of news or teasing about a new album. Perhaps that's key to its success, if that will be it. It's not a Wrens where it can almost only disappoint..

xp to Simon

"dreamy heavy and groovy" is otm. i didn't catch all the lyrics but more emotional too? the specter of relationships. also someone has taken a few roadtrips through the southwest.

I realized this morning that mbv was also a 22 year wait.

I'm confused about the initial release date of Jerusalem, but 1996 (22 years before The Sciences) seems correct.

Both were very high placements on my personal decade list. I don't wanna make that kind of call for Inlet after only hearing it twice but anything's possible.

there's never been a slow drip of news or teasing about a new album

There wasn't much to report. They took their time.

I guess X has everyone else beat (27 years!) but damn what a year for comebacks

No idea if anyone cares but speaking of comebacks released this year, Lowrider's Refractions is excellent.

For real? I don't think I've even thought about Lowrider for, like, 15 years!

Oh yes, Refractions is really, really good. Didn't really mention it because it seems like even the usual stoner rock leaning ilm crew has seemed to have dried up. It's a really great comeback.

can't believe a song like "cloud city" exists

That Shine record is also great, some good listening these past two days, thank you for the recommendation!

"The Summoning" is heavy as fuck.

Wow wow wow "Cloud City", this is gorgeous. I'm in heaven. This record is so good. I love being able to have been absolutely blindsided by this one.

Turning into a livetweet thread here, but I just finished listen number one. Trying to avoid hyperbole, but this is really, really, really wonderful. The combination of Talbott's voice and that guitar tone just trigger something so primal in me, given how much I lived and breathed those first three albums in college and grad school. I'm glad I didn't have time to build any expectations and could just enjoy this for the pleasant surprise that it is.

This is pure comfort food.

OTM.

I mean, it is, kinda, but I think that undersells this a little bit. While it is certainly comforting, I think they are pushing in some subtle new directions and doing really cool stuff here. Comfort food, to me, would find them coasting a little more on tone and mood, but I don't think that's what is happening here.

"the summoning" kinda stomps like sabbath

^^^^ YES, it's where the Sleep comparisons feel earned too

I meant no disparagement when I said it felt like comfort food, but I'm probably less of a Hum fan than most of you and hence not as attuned to the stylistic tweaks jon mentioned.

Oh I know it's not a disparagement and I totally get where you are coming from. Musical comfort food, for me, is usually what I think of when a long running act comes back with an album that hits the right nostalgia buttons, but doesn't really move me beyond that level. Sort of like some of the latter day Guided by Voices records or something.

Provided we do another metal/heavy music poll next year (which we totally should), this feels like a lock for the #1 spot right now.

politely but firmly disagree

it can be #2 ;)

I never said I approved of my prophecy.

What's your #1 imago?

They're from the land of famed ILXor [redacted] who hates guitars.

probably my favourite album of the last few years

not taking anything away from this Hum comeback though - they've not only returned but they've returned modified and arguably better, which is why this is getting such a deservedly great reaction

Tbh as much as I'm enjoying this new Hum I can see it cracking my top 20 but not my top 10.

oh me too but they're a band I'm naturally well-disposed to and it sounds amazing so godspeed 'em tbh

xpost - dig that Oranssi Pazuzu too, really good stuff but I need to spend some more time with it. I think it was more... industrial... than I was prepared to hear. It works, really well, but wasn't as instantaneous as their other stuff has been for me.

I only quibbled as they won the metal poll by miles last time they released an album, and this one's even better! Maybe Hum can dream-doom their way to glory though, and hell, maybe they've earnt it

idk it's really nice to hear matt talbott's vocal cadence (especially on the first track where it sounds like he's developing it into something earthier i think?) and the guitar tones and the drums and there are some really good songs on here but it sounds a little sleepy overall to me, like there is some looping that just goes on and on a little too much to excite me. first side of second disc is kinda stunning though. just my 2 cents / first impression don't mean to kill the vibe. i'll come back to it for sure probably when autumn rolls around.

One more addendum to 2020, year of glorious comebacks for heavy guitar-based music: Armagedda's Svindeldjup ättestup, which may well be my favourite of all.

i listened to this thing like three times today lol

gonna try to break up the trend by listening to the underrated and underheard 2018 failure record

i kinda think the sleepiness and occasional heavy looping are a feature, it's in no hurry to get where it's going. a weird opinion coming from me, someone who dislikes a lot of doom and stoner metal bc it sounds like it's standing still (not in a cool funeral doom way)

the main riff of "step into you" is SO my shit it's ridiculous

That quiet section a third of the way into 'Desert Rambler' is so lovely and unhurried, especially when it drops down to the lower bit, I could happily listen to half an hour of that.

i kinda think the sleepiness and occasional heavy looping are a feature, it's in no hurry to get where it's going. a weird opinion coming from me, someone who dislikes a lot of doom and stoner metal bc it sounds like it's standing still (not in a cool funeral doom way)

― mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Wednesday, June 24, 2020 11:12 PM (nine minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

yeah this is actually an appealing thing about this record, you're right

"cloud city" is like... the best song i've ever heard

a thought i have had about other recent outside-current-mainstream/pop rock records i've heard in the past several years was that perhaps there is a correlation between rock being out of commercial/audience favor, and bands digging in to the doomy/stoner sawtooth heavy riff template, kind of as a refuge. like for the fans, people who show up to shows and just wanna hear that heavy guitar sound without all the whatever.

in the 90s hum certainly had something of the sabbath-by-way-of-seattle heft to them but it wasn't defining, more of a touchstone of the era.

downward was super multi-layered and blissful though iirc, it felt like world-building to me. maybe the ambition of that record wasn't sustainable. i don't know it's been a long time since i've listened to it but i don't wanna stop listening to high on fire atm.

anyway i'll stop being a downer about the NEW HUM ALBUM

Who dare I hope will return next

will jejune and elliott drop new albums just for my benefit

Am I alone in liking Seam, I ask myself goddamnit

If Brad Laner still posted on here I could have lobbied for another Lusk album.

ah maaaan that'd be something

this is kinda like the album i've always wanted boris to make?

Well funnily enough since we've got a new Boris album next week you can compare and contrast.

Oh I know it's not a disparagement and I totally get where you are coming from. Musical comfort food, for me, is usually what I think of when a long running act comes back with an album that hits the right nostalgia buttons, but doesn't really move me beyond that level. Sort of like some of the latter day Guided by Voices records or something.

For my part, I think what I meant was that it hits all the right buttons for immediate enjoyment/absorption for me (including obv memory/nostalgia triggers), poses no barriers. It was probably not quite the right term since I agree that it's not just that: listening more, the songs really do pack emotional heft.

The Summoning -> Cloud City -> Folding is just *all time*.

Definitely.

Matt Talbot's vox match the songwriting tone - appropriately understated.

I'm actually enjoying the vocals. Nice Stipe/Mascis triggers.

xp Damn someone from Lusk used to post here

Yeah I like Talbot's vocals myself, I just don't see them as a lure to the unfamiliar, I guess?

First time I've been able to listen on headphones right now and it's even better than I thought yesterday, a real follow up to Downward is Heavenward that doesn't miss a step. That said some of the more heavy/less melodic parts remind me of tunes off of Electra 2000, just with DiH production.

Also I love St Pere's drumming and he has slowed it down a lot and simplified things. He always had these cascades of accent notes on toms before and that's not as present here. I suppose we all get old :)

heartwarming story in the Stereogum comments:

I grew up in Champaign and these guys are the real deal in every way. Matt Talbott is insanely cool and nice. I was in a nirvana cover band when I was 10 and Hum let us open a few times for them. We were these little kids playing huge shows, and Talbott was so cool and encouraging to us. it was truly incredible.

revisited downward is heavenward and you'd prefer an astronaut today and they're still good but inlet is really on another level

i love downward is heavenward soooo much so i'm not prepared to agree with that but then again i've listened to this album like ten times in the past two days

it's just really everything i could want from this sort of music

The fresh new adventure has been wonderful. I'm not at all prepared to size it up against the other Hum records. Just enjoying. But if I had to make that call right now for some reason, I know that Downward is somewhere in my top 50 of all time, and atm I can't see Inlet placing as well.

But as a follow up it delivers just as well as any of the best long-awaited 2010s LPs. Like mbv or Black Messiah I think it's the kind of record I'll continue revisiting for the next few years. Whereas that was not the case with those two Failure records or even the Faith No More album from a few years ago.

The opener “waves” with its Only Shallow riff and tremolo lead could almost be a mbv tune

Groovy moment on “folding” when the guitars cut out

despite (maybe mistakenly) thinking myself pretty knowledgeable on most 90s/early 2000s indie-ish/alternative-ish ROCK that had any sort of impact... i had somehow never even heard of these guys at all, let alone actually heard them until this week's lp. it's definitely some 90s comfort ear food... in a similar way to that new Swervedriver LP from last year - so check that out if you haven't heard it Hum fans.

the first Swervedriver comeback album is great and really worth checking out, last year's had some good songs too

I keep parsing it as Skrewdriver, I think I need another coffee.

Finally listening on good headphones and this is great. That last few minutes of Desert Rambler aren't *nearly* long enough.

My lack of knowledge of the earlier records probably means I'm getting my influences chronologically cock-eyed, but I'm getting quite a lot of Remote Part-era Idlewild from this - In the Den and Step into You, particularly.

wow I don't hear that at all! but the sheer breadth of bands referenced here indicates to me that basically they continue to sound like Hum above all else

I keep falling into the guitars and getting 'called back' by the cadences of the vocals - definite Roddy Woomble thing going on! Probably just me.

They have a certain shared nerdiness, that I can hear.

That last few minutes of Desert Rambler aren't *nearly* long enough.

agreed, started that section over and over yesterday

chopped and screwed edition when

Is anyone else hearing echoes of 'October Rust' era Type O Negative?

XXP - I made one for yez, Desert Rambler, 13'45" version.

https://we.tl/t-yz9lS1iGbH

I keep falling into the guitars and getting 'called back' by the cadences of the vocals - definite Roddy Woomble thing going on! Probably just me.

oh man thx Maresn3st I will find some uses for this

awww, awesome!! xxp

a friend said he was afraid he loved this too much because it was the only good thing that has happened this year… so emo

where's the lie tho

Glad I caught this band on the rebound. Shit, this new album is like concrete candy, love it

"In the Den" rules so much. This whole thing is so wonderful

A mere 7.8, apparently.

a "towering" 7.8 lol

it's a good review tbh

and by good I partially mean that it contains these words in this order:

And the riffs — the riffs!

^^ otmn :) The 7.8 is just a stamp of approval of a site that'd never give Hum a BNM in 2020. No qualms.

not even post-rock crescendos

GOOD

I still can't figure out how Tim Lash got his geetar to sound like a sax (to me, anyway) on "Waves" tbh

also I accidentally listened to this on shuffle this evening and it was surprisingly revelatory

Distracted by the numerous grammatical errors in that Hum review

Also, just because a song is "longer than eight minutes" doesn't make it "prog," you dummy

I will concede that this is a rather insightful observation:

"...it could pass for the work of a band influenced by Hum, taking them in a more minimalist, esoteric direction: post-hardcore guitars played at stoner metal tempos."

Should have been a BNM but I realize that's an impossible dream because rock music

tbf they couldn't give bnms to *every* amazing record that came out in the past two weeks

Thought it was an alright review, the part that stuck out for me was the idea of it being "inherently decadent" for them (or others) to take 22 years for a new album. It insinuates this idea of a bunch of super rich dudes with nothing better to do than lay around the studio for years on end, perfecting riffs, instead of the reality of them living life and taking time as it comes. Maybe I'm reading more into it than intended, but that part felt weird.

I am betting Hum are a meaningful act to a slim minority of Pitchfork writers at this point

and by slim minority I mean small minority

anyway rock is dead, the review is good and I wanna check out those Cloakroom records

RYM likes Inlet a lot.

every time I want to check a RYM chart I remember they block VPN users and am freshly furious/grateful

I really like the Cloakroom records! Not as much as I like the new Hum, but they are really nice.

Also, just because a song is "longer than eight minutes" doesn't make it "prog," you dummy

The last track, the most slowcore of them all, is the best track

I've never listened to Hum before, but this is great. A perfect balance of dreamy and heavy.

Pared it down to the ones that make me tap my foot, which are tracks 3-5 and 7

I accidentally listened to this on shuffle this evening and it was surprisingly revelatory

there is absolutely nothing wrong with the original sequencing but try this one for fun:

waves / shapeshifter / step into you / the summoning / in the den / cloud city / folding / desert rambler (maresn3st extend0 ed1t)

^^ will try

This is basically the best God Machine L.P they never recorded

...that's a hell of a comparison. And I see what you're getting at.

I'll confess that i'm currently addicted to this record

just had the thought: what if Hum showed up on Black Stallion

Playing as the ship sinks?

I should have clarified that that's the name of the forthcoming White Pony tribute remix album

today's thought on hum: it took listening back to the Centaur album to realize I really love talbott's vocal melodies and phrasing specifically

Wanting more Hum feelings I checked out Cloakroom, Narrow Head, and Greet Death because of the Pitchfork review and this thread. After listening I can say with certainty that I could not tell any of these bands apart if you offered me a hundred bucks

So Torche is still the closest thing to a great Hum-sounding band I've heard (Deftones notwithstanding)

Some Failure comes close to Hum feelings imo, especially Fantastic Planet.

I totally missed that band the first time around for some reason, I really should check them out. Thanks for the reminder!

After listening to Inlet and Electra 2000 while driving over the weekend, I really want to hear a re-recorded version of "Diffuse" with Inlet-style production.

I do wish his vox were less prosaic sometimes.

I’d care less about prosy if dude would just project his voice once in awhile

check the previous two albums

this seems like as good a place as any to post this i guess but i’ve noticed that the idol group yanakoto sotto mute works with a guitarist that sounds very hum-inspired to me, like here -

https://open.spotify.com/track/0Cv9wrH9k8D8kWj7k6BdqH?si=IBSCqcR8TqyYtNVGjTHq2w

the actual new hum record is good too

the last Greet Death album is great but I wouldn't think to associate it with Hum necessarily; way too angsty

man i wish everyone name-dropping shiner itt had just also mentioned the crucial selling point, they were on desoto records!!!!!!!!!!

Desert Rambler could be an elder tune

i recommended this album to an elder fan, agreed

Oh yeah, I can totally see Elder fans digging this.

Rank

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The moment at 2.30 in Desert Rambler, when the guitars fall away and they turn it down a notch, As we dream of our descent upon the surface / I see settlement fires / Gift of water that we carry / Lies in slumber under magnifiers is pure, heavenly bliss.

for anyone with a hankering for more new music w big geetars, you could do worse than the new Kestrels album that dropped today, ft. J Mascis

"Grey and Blue" is cool

Is it finally time to start a rolling new loud rock thread?

Oh man those Postal Service-y vocals ruin that Kestrels for me, love the guitars though. Let's do that rolling LOUD RAWK thread :)

Postal service vocals? Pass

I've been pondering "best new rock music" as a thread idea for a while

This album still rules, just confirmed it.

I was just about to get excited about getting my physical copy soon, but looks like we’ll all have to wait a little longer:

Thank you for pre-ordering Inlet!

We're sending this update to let you know that the pre-order ship date for the CD and 2xLP has been moved to November 6.

The band has been working diligently to produce the highest quality product possible and, as a result, identified several issues that needed to be addressed, which has pushed the manufacturing deadline back further than initially anticipated.

We are sympathetic to any frustration or inconvenience news of this date change may cause. We -- and the band -- are eager to get this album into your hands as soon as possible, but know that the wait will be worth it in the end.

Wouldn't expect anything less.

I need more stuff like this... slow moving, warm, well-engineered walls of distorted guitars.. hard hitting drums.. preferably unobtrusive vocals but considering welcome to sky valley is also scratching this itch for me these days who knows... halp.. I like elder too..

Bailterspace? Maybe?

Try Cave In, the Tides of Tomorrow/Jupiter era specifically, could be what you're looking for

d e f t o n e s

built to spill (though the vocals . . .), and post-reunion polvo (though the herky jerky rhythms . . .)

I like these
https://windhand.bandcamp.com/track/grey-garden
https://holyserpentband.bandcamp.com/track/for-no-one

rockin, thanx all for suggestions!

The Angelic Process? Weighing Souls With Sand is colossal. Might be a bit heavy.

Try Cave In, the Tides of Tomorrow/Jupiter era specifically, could be what you're looking for

^otm

Also as said above: Shiner and Failure are good touch points that are contemporary with most of Hum's catalogue. Imho other good stuff (though possibly veering into emo territory) could be Appleseed Cast's Low Level Owl 1 & 2.

Certain *songs*, maybe not albums, also seem to me like they could qualify, such as Travel is Dangerous my Mogwai or The Wedding Procession by Yume Bitsu.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOh9k1kqQhg

there are like 100 bands that sound like Hum (I like Hum)

Deftones is otm

100? sweet!

Imho other good stuff (though possibly veering into emo territory) could be Appleseed Cast's Low Level Owl 1 & 2.

― I want to change my display name (dan m), Tuesday, September 8, 2020 5:08 PM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

Nothing about those particular fantastic albums really jump out as emo to me. Really more so just the rest of their discography.

emo & post-grunge make up a decent fraction of the hum/failure/etc/etc venn diagram. there's also some stuff that is neither:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj5aZ3JYkPw

Also I was surprised when I found out The Notwist used to be one of these bands
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpIcmjujFDM

and i thought this was about hem.

ugh why did I wait so long to finally pull the trigger on this album.

three songs in and this is magnificent

"Step Into You", omg, that guitar lead

akjfdka;lfda i want to live in this song

So glad this thread got active again. I can't wait to get my copy, but loving it in the meantime.

Nice to see a Space Needle drop here, though I'm not sure they give me huge Hum vibes. Love that band though.

Man the excitement over this album faded really fast, disappointing as I still think it's one of the year's best.

Anyway, just got the notice that my CD pre-order shipped.

def my favorite hum album at this point

still listening quite a bit.

DiH is still tops for me (there's no beating that ornate production), but Inlet ain't much of a step down.

I want the LP but it's so pricey

Hasn’t faded for me!! <3

Me either, it's one of the best things this year and I've listened to it a ton.

no fade over here.

Excellent! Glad folks are still as excited. I’ve given myself a break from it until my copy shows up, want to recapture a little of that fresh magic from the surprise drop.

Yeah, no fade here either! It's not a record that invites a lot of ~discourse~ but that's good not bad imo.

It is interesting how they bowed out presenting as rock and returned presenting as metal imo

It still sounds like loud rock Hum to me but like, same band different era. I think Centaur and Matt's 2010s production work hinted they were gonna lean in this direction.

looking forwarding to getting the CD

My CD showed up today and, look, I'm not going to complain at all about having new Hum in my life but I gotta be honest, the CD packaging is underwhelming to say the least. Guess I shoulda sprung for the vinyl version.

It's one of those barest of bare bones cardboard sleeves, no liner notes, no lyrics. Just one photo of a forest (I think) from above on the fold-out. The credits, such as they are, are just what fits under the song titles on the back cover.

Not trying to be negative, I still love this album to death and glad I got my copy.

This is definitely one of my AOTYs. I agree with imago it is interesting how they "returned presenting as metal," which I think has more to do with the times than with the band. The idea of a band belonging firstmost to "rock" without other qualifiers (indie, post-, classic, etc.) no longer exists in the popular imagination. I feel like the last band to embody that concept was...The White Stripes, maybe? Perhaps that's another thread.

Oh yeah, this is still running as one of my favorite three albums of the year and still has a decent shot at the top spot.

The idea of a band belonging firstmost to "rock" without other qualifiers (indie, post-, classic, etc.) no longer exists in the popular imagination. I feel like the last band to embody that concept was...The White Stripes, maybe?

Still agree with this idea in general. I mean why would Hum want to get lumped in with Greta Van Fleet?

Maybe I'm in the minority here but I wouldn't call Inlet metal at all really. The main difference in sound between it and previous records is in the production, which is to my ear deeper, bassier, more booming.

its kinda like a whole album of the side of deftones i like the most so i can see how it fits in as 'alt metal'

I guess there's some elements of doom-metal or stoner-metal but it's definitely a rock album.

Blinker The Star is back

https://blinkerthestar.bandcamp.com/album/juvenile-universe

I'm hearing more doom-metal layers now revisiting this on vinyl. Plus a few moments on the Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou are blending in my head with the riffs in "The Summoning."

I though this was great news:

pic.twitter.com/w97pAQf5Fs

— HUM (@humbandofficial) January 20, 2021

is Electra 2000 good?

I like it a lot, but I was also in Champaign when these guys were at the time so my feelings on it are inextricably tied to seeing them live. It's definitely more angry and less refined then they'd get, but still a lot of the hallmarks were falling into place.

Electra 2000 is worth it for "Diffuse" alone imo

(nb the other songs are v good too but that one, for me, is an essential track by the band… "Double Dip" could be another)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwyQMiMG41E

their last performance before Inlet was released, I guess?

really wish they'd do some kind of livestream, I would love a decently produced inlet album show with visuals etc

Sad news https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=349853279833118&id=100044253468466

Utterly awful.

Ugh, that's horrible.

RIP

:(((((((

one of my favorite rock drummers ever

Absolutely gutted to hear this. A tremendous loss that would be heartbreaking at any time, but feels even more difficult after the success and hype around Inlet. 2021 was shaping up to be a fantastic year for Hum.

well said, jon. RIP

RIP, damn

It's kinda fitting they found him as a drummer by hearing him play along to Rush through a window. Their rekkid last year was my fave of the year. His drumming was so inventive & serviced the songs so well. Really bummed about this. Cranking 'Downward' tonight.

Sad news. He was a hard hitter but still had the touch and the groove. Rip

ffs that's terrible. such an interesting drummer who really shaped the sound of that band.

this band is . . . indebted to hum. which is fine with me

https://millymusicgroup.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-ring

Sorry, this is shameless. Almost admirable in its devotion to not having a single original idea

Yeah. I gave it a chance, but it ended up just on the wrong side of annoying

I like Milly!

https://open.spotify.com/track/0kyK9b2bC3INVSZza9kq2o?si=hZFfnLdHSkKSCCAVYELm7w

Love the harmonics. Such riffage

https://i.imgur.com/NTJiN7X.jpg

Goddamn this band.

Working my way through the post-Fillet Show discography today and just, wow. I'd argue three perfect albums in a row with Astronaut > Downward > Inlet.

I still can't believe how good Inlet is, especially after such a long break (decades!). I need to remember this the next time we have a poll about great late-period / comeback albums

I bought a Hum hoodie from Matt Talbot's distro and it came in a box with an Airheads candy in it. Then I looked at the Hum Starsposting FB group and learned that he does that with all orders.

“Waves” has some dope mbv vibes