Review: The Hush Now | Constellations [MP3]

Spoiler Alert: As one inevitably approaches his fortieth or fiftieth listen to the opening cut on The Hush Now's sophomore set -- because it is that good -- the revelation strikes that the pulsing flow of the lyrics to "Contrails" suggests Chuck D's in the greatest hip-hop song of all time, "Don't Believe The Hype" ("they can't come on and play me in prime time..."). That tangent aside, vocals and keyboard tower over the other elements of "Contrails," and we wish someone had depressed the "Superchunk Guitars" button during the mixing session for that track. We can't help but wonder if The Hush Now's songwriter and guitarist Noel Kelly pondered hard over the decision and chose the lighter (and probably more radio-friendly) touch as part of an effort to spread the band's musical wings more broadly on Constellations, The Hush Now's wonderfully realized new collection. Its 10 songs are rife with arrangement and production surprises that increase the dimensions of the band's already formidable amalgamation of British(-style) guitar pop inflected with '70s AM Gold harmonies.

Not the least of these surprises is the stirring bridge in "Contrails," featuring -- E.L.O.-style, and we believe from the mouth of Mr. Kelly's brother -- an operatic vocal solo almost mystically summoning a final giant chorus. Said chorus is further punctuated by a bright trumpet line that charts the front end of a nice contrast to the darker, more bouncing title track that follows. "Constellations" noticeably percolates with similar energy to "Traditions," a highlight of the band's first long-player [live clip of the former track here]. There's a surprisingly soulful horn solo in "Thorns," as well, floating above a spray of delayed guitar that recalls The Cure's Disintegration or The Kitchens Of Distinction's finer moments. The album's first rough edges don't appear until the crackling opening of "All You've Said And Done," although here again the vocals tamp down the big guitars once the lyrics kick in. Later, that song dissolves into 90 beautiful seconds of strings and feedback and accordion that is among the most impressive things to spring from the mind of Mr. Kelly so far. Then "Fireflies" opens with banjo. Such production flairs could easily present as kitschy, pile up and cloud the underlying music, but Kelly and his cohort ably massage them into Constellations so that nothing sounds tacked on at whim. Such remarkable facility with arrangement and production may be the band's biggest surprise of all.

Beyond the broader palette, the new collection isn't that different a beast from The Hush Now's solid self-titled debut (both created with the production assistance of The Mighty Lemon Drops' David Newton). And so Kelly's five-year plan, first detailed here, pushes on. The first single from Constellations, "Hoping And Waiting," is already scratching certain radio charts. The Hush Now's biggest challenge at the moment may be securing a lead guitarist to promote the record this fall, as its most recent six-string-slinger left the fold earlier this month as live commitments are starting to fall into place. However, for a band whose history encompasses a car crash and a flood, fans know it is unwise to count out The Hush Now. Constellations will be self-released by the band Oct. 13.

The Hush Now -- "Hoping And Waiting" -- Constellations
[right click and save as]
[buy Hush Now music right here]

The Hush Now: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Previous Hush Now Coverage:

YouTube Rodeo: The Hush Now's "Constellations"
Today's Hotness: The Hush Now
Back To Now: The Hush Now Interview With Noel Kelly
In The Studio With... The Hush Now
Review: The Hush Now -- The Hush Now

In The Studio With... The Hush Now

Music bloggers get invited to rock shows. It's a regular occurrence. And so -- when it is a band we like and we're not feeling lazy -- we cover them, either on our own dime or on someone else's. But we'd never been invited into a recording studio during our stint as a music blogger prior to receiving an invitation from new Boston-based indie rock quartet The Hush Now. Despite not yet releasing its debut, the band, fronted by songwriter and guitarist Noel Kelly, is already hard at work at recording a second set. As we had just reviewed The Hush Now's self-titled debut and found it really enjoyable [review here], we took up Mr. Kelly on his offer and sat in on sessions Thursday night. The recording of the new record has not been without a little drama. The basement room of the Charlestown recording studio the band was using flooded out not long after tracking began.

This seems to have been taken in stride, and as we settled into a black leather couch in the back of the control room last week basic tracks were already complete and Mr. Kelly was beginning vocal tracks. So for a couple hours -- while also joking around with bassist Mike DiMinno, drummer Barry Marino, keyboardist Kurt Schneider and producer David Newton (formerly of late '80s Sire act The Mighty Lemon Drops) -- we listened in as Kelly did takes of a soaring, guitar-heavy anthem titled "The Atheist." Surprise, surprise, there's a religious theme to the track, a theme the guys joked would bolster the case for reserved seats in hell. The tune touts big crescendoes, not unlike the preview track "Traditions" from The Hush Now, which we're posting again below. No word on when the band's sophomore set will be released, but since The Hush Now is still mid-album cycle with its debut, we expect it will be sometime in 2009. We'll keep you posted.

The Hush Now -- "Traditions" -- The Hush Now
[right click and save as]
[watch The Hush Now MySpace dojo for pre-order information]

The Hush Now: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Review: The Hush Now -- The Hush Now [MP3]

Recently constituted Boston quartet The Hush Now trade in light but dense guitar pop in the mold of the great U.K. guitar bands of the mid- and late '80s. Bands like The House Of Love, as well as certain American successors including The Ocean Blue and Poole. All of which makes The Hush Now's self-titled debut -- perhaps with the exception of odd, throw-away Irish folksy bookending tracks that continue to perplex us -- a very enjoyable way to spend three-quarters of an hour. Mid-tempo strummer "Vancouver" provides a schematic of what the band is about: melodic guitar lines cascade, Weezer-y synths underscore, hands clap time and lyrics float gently. The rocking album highlight "Sadie Hawkins Dance" is an irresistible bit of bubblegum-leaning romance featuring fronter Noel Kelly's understated but yearning murmur ("who said I didn't want what you wanted?"). Online promo track "Traditions," which we first wrote about here last month, has a hypnotizing verse that somewhat softens the chorus' demand "just sit down and shut up, and don't speak 'cause there's nothing wrong." The syncopation of deep track "Roleplay" recalls The Ocean Blue's "Marigold," from that band's landmark record Cerulean (which, incidentally, was the name of Mr. Kelly's previous, Los Angeles-based band).

The Hush Now will be self-released in late October. The band already has its sights set on a follow-up, which it begins recording this week with producer David Newton (formerly of The Mighty Lemon Drops). We'll be dropping in on the sessions and will file some sort of report thereafter. In the meantime, check out the upbeat (and particularly Poole-ish) throbber "Sadie Hawkins Dance" from the forthcoming debut, which the band was cool enough to let us offer to you.

The Hush Now -- "Sadie Hawkins Dance" -- The Hush Now
[right click and save as]
[watch NewburyComics.com or the band's MySpace dojo for pre-order info]

The Hush Now: Internets | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr