-=- SHGZ -=- * Shoegaze * Indie * Post-Rock * Grunge * Dream Pop * Psych-Rock * Ethereal * ARTIST..: Hookworms ALBUM...: The Hum GENRE...: Psychedelic Rock STYLE...: Psychedelic, Punk, Shoegaze YEAR....: 2014 LABEL...: Domino ENCODER.: LAME 3.98.4 -V0 BITRATE.: 239 kbps avg QUALITY.: 44.1kHz / Joint Stereo SOURCE..: CD TRACKS..: 9 SIZE....: 65.98 MB URL..: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookworms_%28band%29 - TRACKLIST 1 The Impasse 2:42 2 On Leaving 6:02 3 iv 2:58 4 Radio Tokyo 4:01 5 Beginners 6:36 6 v 0:39 7 Off Screen 7:37 8 vi 1:31 9 Retreat 5:48 Total Playtime: 37:54 Mysterious Leeds quintet Hookworms released their excellent debut album Pearl Mystic to great acclaim just 18 months ago. Full of infectious, space-rock swirls and krautrock meets psychedelia beats, the record was, according to guitarist SS (they're known only by initials in case you didn't know), written "to an audience in the same way your diary has an audience". The success of the debut was, therefore, wholly unexpected by the band itself. This time around they appear more focused. "We knew we had a really clear audience," SS continues. "We had a much clearer idea of what the record should be like." And with the arrival of new drummer JN, a sense of new, vibrant energy is apparent. The tempo is ramped up as persistent, driving drums marry with pummelling bass to create a fearsome rhythm section that propels the album's best moments into new territory. Pearl Mystic opened with the sprawling, almost nine-minute Away/Towards, a track that, just like the disease the band's name depicts, slowly buries itself inside. The Hum begins in stark contrast, with The Impasse bludgeoning its way through a raucous three minutes of swirling, distorted punk √ apparently influenced by Suicide √ where MJ's uniquely distorted vocals meld into an even deeper well of reverb. Whilst last year's effort frequently slowed the pace, the lengthy Off Screen is the only real slowie on the new album, bizarrely reminiscent of a crawling, heavily distorted, swirling psychedelic version of U2's Tryin' To Throw Your Arms Around The World. The slow, pounding drums and Hammond organ chords create a stunning backdrop, occasionally punctured by electric guitar bursts; it's one to lose yourself in over its seven and a half minutes. With both albums including three instrumental breaks √ entitled i, ii and iii on the debut and in continuation, iv, v and vi here √ the number of 'full' tracks on each reaches only six, creating a false impression whereby each offering appears to take a form somewhere between an EP and LP. The instrumentals serve a purpose though, largely creating a sense of stretching their preceding tracks out further before mostly blending into the next track. The driving, almost motorik, rhythm of single On Leaving combines with Hammond organ to create a sinister sounding backdrop before MJ's rather more melodic and less-distorted than usual vocals appear alongside a weaving, snake-like guitar line; it's simply a stunning moment of droning repetition that builds into a mesmerising, thunderous cacophony of splendour. Radio Tokyo is an upbeat blast of irresistible, psychedelic proto-punk that fades in and out of focus whilst Beginners is built around another similarly paced repetitive, propulsive beat where racing bass and wall of guitar noise create another brilliant sonic soundscape for MJ to furnish with those distinctive tones. In contrast to Pearl Mystic that came to a rather tranquil conclusion with What We Talk About, The Hum departs in spectacular fashion as Retreat, the best song on the collection, takes shape. Built around choppy, crunchy Stooges-like guitars and an undulating organ melody, the song is perhaps the most focused and melodic track the band have released, everything coming together in almost six minutes of sheer magnificence. There's less spacey, Wooden Shjips-like swirls on The Hum than its predecessor but they've been replaced by a tighter, more prominent and driving drum and bass contribution, and when the band rock out they take some stopping. Whilst the debut got tongues wagging, the follow up is sure to get hearts pounding √ a superb collection of tracks that points to a band that knows where it's going. These Hookworms are ones you really must catch √ let them bury themselves under your skin without delay. * Though they currently enjoy international distribution through one of the biggest indie labels in England, Hookworms insist their group is nothing more than a hobby. The Leeds psych-punk band is but one of many musical pursuits its members currently partake in; they're still self-managed; and they're bewildered by the sight of strangers around town wearing their t-shirts. And as the ultimate act of self-effacement in an era of easy Googleability, Hookworms insist on being identified only by their initials. Ironically, this means their singer-guitarist is known as MJ∙a monogram he just so happens to share with the most famous pop star who ever moonwalked the earth. This accidental synergy should not suggest the two have anything in common (though this MJ's past production work for the scabrous likes of Eagulls and Joanna Gruesome could surely earn him the title King of Slop). But it is emblematic of the peculiar duality inherent to Hookworms' music: Approached from one side, their fuzz-swirled freak-outs can seem hostile, petulant, and deranged, but, from the other, they feel therapeutic, affirming, and joyously anthemic. The beauty of the band's second album, The Hum, is how effortlessly they make the blitzkrieg and the bliss seem like complementary rather than conflicting ideals. The Hum seemingly changes not a single console setting from the band's 2013 full-length, Pearl Mystic, and dispenses similar dosages of gonzo garage-rock, scuzzy psych, and free-form hypno-drone. But The Hum fuses them together in a more holistic, satisfying way, with a perfectly flowing sequence that makes it feel as if Hookworms designed the record as a single continuous piece. Where the ambient interludes on Pearl Mystic felt like necessary pauses for the band to catch their breath, on The Hum they serve a more crucial, connective quality, melting down their road-running rave-ups and molding them into "Mother Sky"-high odysseys and opium-den comedown ballads. It's like Thee Oh Sees attempting a punk-squat answer to Spiritualized's Pure Phase: an omnipresent haze that solidifies into motorik propulsion and mountainous noise, only to dissolve into the ether and reformulate anew. In interviews, MJ has been frank about his struggles with depression and the fact that Pearl Mystic was written during an especially bleak period following the end of a long-term relationship. Not that you could necessarily tell∙his voice was often transfigured into the sort of echo-drenched howl favored by Ethan Miller during Comets on Fire's Blue Cathedral heyday. On The Hum, he still sounds like he's singing to you through the last payphone booth standing, but the more congenial qualities of his voice are amplified. (When he's not screaming to make himself heard, MJ actually comes on like a young, hyper-enough Mac McCaughan.) And the few decipherable lyrics that cut through the clamor suggest someone who's been in a dark place and is bravely facing the day for the first time in a while: "On Leaving" cruises casually atop a third-eye-opening organ drone en route to an ecstatic admission∙"I moved towards the sun/ I figured it out!"∙and a pulse-pounding, static-soaked finale; the swaggering closer "Retreat" peaks with MJ declaring, "I've got a reason to love," before riding a speed-shootin', light-killin' groove into the sunset. They may have no career ambitions to headline Glastonbury, but fortunately Hookworms can't completely conceal their desire to refashion anti-social, dirty-syringe psychedelia as a communal, ecstatic experience. * Hookworms' balls-out, no nonsense approach to music is very much a breath of fresh air in an increasingly tame and polished music industry. The Leeds-based five piece are known only as JN, JW, MB, MJ and SS in order to ensure a focus on the music itself, rather than any personalities within the band. Not that the music needs any attention drawing to it √ 2013's Pearl Mystic mercilessly battered you around the head in a haze of guitars and largely indecipherable, piercing vocals. Though indisputedly a part of the psych revival of recent years, Hookworms occupy their very own niche, combining elements of shoegaze and noise with the DIY elements of hardcore and garage rock. The Hum, whilst sounding very different, is very much a continuation of Pearl Mystic, and absolutely does not disappoint. This focus on continuation is very much evidenced by the numbered instrumentals, which carry on where Pearl Mystic left off ('IV', 'V' and 'VI'). The first track 'The Impasse' doesn't hang around for more than 20 seconds, and after a very brief introduction crashes in to a whirlwind of screaming, guitars, pounding drums and riproaring organ. It's worth mentioning at this juncture that organs are NOT used enough in rock music these days, and Hookworms absolutely nail it. 'On Leaving' is the record's lead single and is accurately described by the bassist MB as their attempt at a 'really minimal, two-note rager'. This track is six minutes of absolute control, with the band showcasing their firm grasp of dynamics and ability to play perfectly off one another. It builds and crashes to perfection with a particular mention going to the new drummer, JN, who cements himself firmly as the engine room behind Hookworm's music. 'Beginners' is a similarly repetitive two note rager that once again shows a confidence, control and dynamic intensity that was not present on Pearl Mystic. 'Off Screen' is the track which shows the band's slightly softer side - and similarities could be drawn to the more sombre work of My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. The vocals are low in the mix and essentially serve as just another instrument in amongst layers of ambience and guitar-fuzz. The album finishes on a high with 'Retreat' being possibly the strongest track. The songwriting here is absolutely faultless, the rhythm section as a whole is incredibly tight, and the guitar sound is mind-blowing from beginning to end. This is the kind of badass rock'n'roll track that, like Primal Scream's 'Accelerator' and My Bloody Valentine's 'Only Shallow' made me want to play the guitar like nothing else. Guitarist SS has said 'we were writing Pearl Mystic to an audience in the same way your diary has an audience ... it's written to one but if no one ever reads it that's not a big deal ... this time round though we knew we had a really clear audience'. This freedom from constraints is incredibly apparent from the off and manifests itself through a new found confidence, focus and control. Even with a bigger budget and the knowledge that they now have a captive audience to impress, Hookworms never come across as arrogant, showy or self-indulgent. They have managed to follow a logical musical progression which will undoubtedly blow many minds. * After Hookworms released their self-titled debut EP in 2011, MB, the band's bassist said: "The hookworm is a parasite that lives inside its chosen host, sucking blood and damaging the small intestine, and can occasionally lead to death if not treated or attended to properly. We'd like to think that our music works its way into our 'hosts', and grinds them down from the inside, bludgeoning them into submission with repetition and noise." It proved to be a prophetic statement as the Leeds five-piece went on to release 'Pearl Mystic', last year's excellent album, on tiny-but-respected Nottingham-based indie, Gringo. Without a marketing campaign behind it (or a Mercury Prize submission), the record became hookworm-like itself √ squirming its way inside bodies and minds by word of mouth √ and although there was something cocksure about MB declaring that their music would "bludgeon hosts into submission", no one seemed more surprised by the success of 'Pearl Mystic' than Hookworms themselves. They said they genuinely had no idea whether the album was any good and also that their band was, and remains, a hobby. 'Pearl Mystic' inadvertently hit the zeitgeist. The group have nothing to do with Tame Impala, or Goat, or Temples, but they got caught up in a fresh appetite for psychedelia, hoisting them further into the limelight than they seemed comfortable with (for all its sonic malevolence, 'Pearl Mystic' is ostensibly an album about frontman/producer MJ's battle with depression) and leading to heightened anticipation for 'The Hum', their second LP and first for Domino imprint Weird World. Now, they have a bigger recording budget, new gear and a forthcoming marketing campaign, but to know Hookworms is to know a band with a strong sense of DIY ethics. There is no showboating or ostentatiousness on 'The Hum'; it's a different record to 'Pearl Mystic', but also a logical continuation and, in some ways, a companion piece. On 'Pearl Mystic', ambient, instrumental tracks that were crucial to giving the album a wide-open, cosmic feel were numbered ('I', 'II', 'III') and that numbering of similar pieces continues here ('IV', 'V', 'VI'), locking the two albums together. There are also songs, like 'On Leaving' and 'Beginners' (both clocking in at over six minutes), that are built on a repeated two-chord groove, as many tracks on 'Pearl Mystic' were, but 'The Hum' is tougher, richer and more dynamic, throwing Hookworms forward in spectacular, assured fashion. To a sonic palette of Spaceman 3, early Primal Scream and The Velvet Underground, they've added 'Sound Of Silver'-era LCD Soundsystem, allowed their debt to US punk and hardcore to shine through more obviously. They even dare to finish with a superb glam-rock stomp, 'Retreat', reminiscent of the poppier end of The Stooges or Modern Lovers. MJ has said the success of 'Pearl Mystic' helped him deal with depression and performance anxiety, but it's too convenient to say that 'The Hum' is more upbeat and riotous because it signals his victory over illness. The opening track is called 'The Impasse', suggesting deadlock, and the most sober moment, 'Off Screen', talks about "drowning in absent desire". These songs are exceptions, however. 'On Leaving' works around a refrain of "I figured it out" and on 'Radio Tokyo' (a re-recorded pre-album single), MJ sings about how "nostalgia digs me out". You sense his joy, and joy in the band. You want Hookworms to succeed, and they do; 'The Hum' is all feel, no bullshit, and it truly gets under your skin. * Christmas has come early for psyche, freakbeat and space-rock aficionados: following the acclaim of their 2013 debut Pearl Mystic, the second album from the devout DIY-band Hookworms is a structured and refined barrage of noise and veiled melody; a six-track record with three instrumental intervals (or rather moments of respite, in the form of disconcertingly quiet drone-based ambience) stuffed into just 35 minutes. Tough and burly like their ear-bludgeoning former record, tracks like The Impasse and Beginners emanate an energy so febrile and frenzied it's the sort of devil rock you'd imagine parents from the god-fearing right ought to protect their teenager's ears from. Where the group from Leeds' impressiveness lies is in their lighter, less mangled moments however; the groovy, gothic disco of On Leaving, or Off Screen, a sprawling song heavy with a feeling of melancholy; their most shoegazey, Jesus-and-Mary-Chain-moment yet. * It's hard to find a problem with Hookworms' newest album, The Hum, but not because it's flawless. Far from it as there are a number of major structural missteps on the album. But because what works about it works so well, it's a shame to pick at it. When the album is on, it is on. Witness the way The Hum opens with "The Impasse", a wild jolt of electricity that manages against all odds to marry the warm haze of psychedelic organs, garbled vocals and nearly-too-distorted guitars with razor-sharp drums -- they seem to stab more than bludgeon -- to produce a speed-freak's ideal slice of rock. There's a similar energy at work on all the best tracks of the album. "Radio Tokyo" sounds like a reanimated Stereolab track, except this time the revival was good for it, the rot and dirt agents of life rather than of death. "On Leaving" has a spectacular moment at the two-minute mark. The muddy vocals drain out of the song, the fuzzy mist established by the droning organ part evaporates, and the drums and guitar come out with a speed and clarity not far removed from a knife's. These examples let you know the boys in Hookworms might be fans of the psychedelic '60s, but they aren't beholden to it. They have their own way of doing things and a sense of speed that will never blister but will at least get your feet warm. And therein lies the problem. With a more deliberately, or less lazily, constructed set list, this album would be world class. As it is, the band practices moderation a little too often and nowhere is this more evident than in the transitional tracks "iv", "v", and "vi". Ostensibly bridges that might make the change in momentum from song to song more palatable, what these short cuts do instead is excuse the band to make a track list that is lazier than it has any right to be. There's nothing wrong with slower tracks, such as the obviously Lungfish-inspired "Off Screen" or the too-appropriately titled "Retreat". In fact, as stand alone songs or as part of a slower, relaxed album these would be standout titles, the kind of meditative psych-rock that you could (and which many bands have) built a small cult on. The slurred voice of MB turns the lyrics into a poorly enunciated mush that rises to join the gently floating instruments to form music that doesn't merely invite relaxation but compels it. As part of a larger, coherent work that trades best in momentum, though, such spacey interludes are more than unwelcome. They are jarring, like speed bumps on those fabled stretches of the Autobahn where speed limits are nonexistent, and comparatively dull. When one's been keyed up by the martial stamp of "Beginners" and the masterful twist in rhythm that comes at the midsection, one hardly wants to slow down to the meandering stroll of "v". It's easy enough to excuse the album for its mistakes, given how solid an effort this is, but it would be as lazy as the track arrangement. All albums are of a piece, after all, and it's clear that Hookworms had a scheme of some kind in mind when they organized The Hum as they did. Otherwise, why not simply drop those clearly transitional tracks? The problem is that Hookworms used these numbers as shortcuts. The changes in tempo feel like a product of laziness as opposed to the result of careful arrangement. It's as if the band were insistent that they include the six vocal tracks on the album but recognized the difficulty in connecting them and so settled to justify the massive changes in style and tempo by soldering everything together with filler. Don't take that to mean that Hookworms are a band to miss out on or that The Hum deserves a pass. This is top-notch psychedelic rock, in so many ways better than all those ancient bands and songs it's built upon, but it's presented in such a garbled way that the songs often lose their impact. Listen to them in isolation or divided by their styles and you can't go wrong, but avoid listening to the album straight through. Otherwise, you may miss out on what makes all of this so darn fun. * Band members are still only known only by their initials, an anti-attention, anti-star stance that's a typically Leeds attitude, and Hookworms are a very Leeds band: feel free to get involved, but don't be a dickα you have to be from there to understand. Musically, there's not much deviation from what came before, in that it's another album crammed with great tracks. "The Impasse" is a furious opener - forget the vagueness of psych, this is the most upfront 'fuck you' opening track since "Facet Squared" by Fugazi (Fugazi's musical aggression certainly being evident during the harder hitting tracks here), a musical rage is topped off with MJ's howling heavily processed vocals, which are, again, almost indecipherable throughout, showing the collaborative approach of a band acting as one, not a lead singer backed by a band. "On Leaving", which follows, immediately slows the pace from fury to hypnotic. With a Stereolab-influenced keyboard drone, eastern influenced guitars, it's the direct opposite of the tune that preceded it, displaying Hookworms at their most melodic. Halfway through MJ muses "Start figuring it out/Nothing stays the same" over an inevitable guitar crunch followed by a gorgeous build up to an epic outro. "Radio Tokyo", originally released as a single on Too Pure last year, has been re-recorded and vastly improved. Starting off as a Loop goes pop track, the real thrill is when it breaks down to a one note piano line (almost designed to be extended by another three minutes live), and a creepy spoken word passage where MJ repeats "It's true/Nostalga digs me out" over and over until it kicks back in and thrashes itself to death. The Hum is claustrophobic and unrelenting. Even its one moment of true calm, "Off Screen" - which takes its cue from early Verve and Levitation B-sides from 1992 - is covered in a stifling musical scuzz. The skill of the band means there's still a beauty shimmering beneath the fug, and it's placed at the perfect point of the album where a moment of calm is desperately needed. Hookworms have now proved for a second time that you can find beauty within the sound of confusion, and you can be psychedelic and danceable at the same time (the groove based "Beginners" is certainly designed to lose one's shit to). As was the case with their debut, there are also three short drone tracks - a clever way of making sure that the momentum isn't lost, there is always the sound ("vi" is a particularly effective way of segueing out of "Off Screen"). These moments could be dismissed as filler, but no way - even if the noise annoys, it's integral in the same way it was on Spiritualized's Pure Phase. There's a reason for its inclusion, but if the band gave us any hints, it would probably just be the first letter of each word. The Hum is a shattering, all-encompassing experience; there's climactic rage, broken organs and blank-eyed trance outs. At times it's like listening to war, but there are also moments of beauty, musical tantrums and periods of bummed out weirdness. The result of all this? Total exhilaration. * Hookworms have gone a little bit pop for their second album. That's not to say they're set to collaborate with Taylor Swift on her next full-length √ there are many kinds of pop music, after all - but there's a definite pop persuasion to 'The Hum', anyway, in the same darkened, menacing sense as Suicide or Spacemen 3. Debut 'Pearl Mystic' might be a ludicrously daunting act to follow, but by progressing onwards from the murk of their debut into a cleaner, snappier territory, Hookworms have managed to remain thoroughly the same band, without a hint of stagnation or water treading. 'Beginners' and 'Radio Tokyo' lead the way in the clout department, and increasingly, Hookworms sound like a band comfortable with being immediate as well as complex. It's not every day drone tracks sit next to extended periods of organ-mashing solos, but then again, not many bands viciously swerve between ideas quite like Hookworms. There's a focus to 'The Hum' that makes it hit with far more clarity than its white noise title suggests. Hookworms are quickly amassing a formidable back catalogue, and who knows where their experimentation will take them next. * On their second album, 2014's The Hum, Hookworms still haven't done much to become user-friendly. They still go by their initials (MB, MJ, JN, SS, and JW, in case you're keeping track), the album cover is mysterious and lacks any identifying words, and their songs are similar to their first album, Pearl Mystic, in that they are raging, unwieldy slabs of noise and energy that almost seem to be holding on for dear life, kicking and screaming, as they are forced into the listener's ear canals. As in the case of that album, the sensation here is not unpleasant. In fact, it's loud enough, kinetic enough, and violent enough that there is a palpable sense of catharsis running through the album. Much of the tension and release comes from MJ's insane vocals, which make Johnny Whitney of Blood Brothers sound like he's placing an order for pizza; the rest comes from the guitars and drums being pummeled as much as being played. Like the last album did so well, the band again balances the moments of intense power with stretches of controlled fury and sometimes even calmness, all in the name of dynamics. This time out, the approach is a little more direct and less wrapped in mystery, with a couple songs having a straightforward punch that's almost punk (the rampaging "The Impasse") and/or hypnotic in motorik fashion ("Beginners"). This album's long, almost oceanic noise ballad "Off Screen" is easily the equal of anything on Pearl Mystic, and shows a little bit of progression to boot. The entire record is a small step forward from the sometimes unfocused sound of that first album, and really crystallizes the group's strong points in a way that's almost fun to listen to. What Hookworms might lack in image and clarity, they more than make up for by making music that isn't built to linger in the background. It demands attention and deserves it, too. * Hookworms have had a short history of punk-influenced noise-rock. Their debut album, Pearl Mystic, had the right combination of pop and garage-rock, but in their own words they feel they 'were writing Pearl Mystic to an audience in the same way your diary has an audience. It's written to one but if no one ever reads it that's not a big deal.' With their upcoming LP, The Hum, there is a slight difference. This time there is a clear audience, whether they like it or not. The first record was released to such widespread acclaim, receiving plaudits from The Guardian, Uncut, the BBC, NME, Drowned in Sound and Loud & Quiet. The record opens with the track, The Impasse, a short but deliberately simple introduction. It's a two minute, heavily distorted punk song that provides a fitting opener to an album that will take you through various sonic platforms. The second album, as a concept, doesn't need to fit the same demands that a debut does. It can stray from the path and do things an album typically "shouldn't" do. Third track, iv, is three minutes of noise (or a humα a hum that continues to be a resounding theme throughout), a tool seemingly used for atmospheric purposes. The Hum is very patiently constructed. In parts it can vary from Sonic Youth territories towards a more playful and distorted Patti Smith, in particular, slowing down pace in full swing and then bringing it back up towards a climactic but simple finish. The breadth of the album itself is shown through various psychedelic and experimental influences, whether deliberate or not, seeping through the main body of work. Off Screen is described by the band as 'probably the most depressing song on the record' and that is true in a sense. However, it has the same uplifting and transcendent sensation that a My Bloody Valentine or Mogwai track gives its audience. The Hum comes 18 months after Hookworms' debut album. It manages to push the boundaries of what is expected from a relatively new band. Having gained its audience already, the band's style has managed to subvert and gain more personality in the process, leaving an album of exhilarating character and growth to add to their body of work so far. * From Animal Collective to Youth Lagoon, modern psychedelia often seems to derive its palette from the hallucinogen-blurred, childish whimsy of Syd Barrett. Textures are piled atop one another in an attempt to obscure whatever actual songwriting is going on, imbuing these artists' music with an intentional haziness that, at its worst, devolves into directionless detours. This isn't the case with Leeds quintet Hookworms, given their preoccupation with both anonymity (the band's members all go by their initials) and forceful urgency. Methodically pulling from shoegaze, krautrock, American hardcore, and old-timey rock standards like "Louie Louie," Hookworms follow up 2013's primal Pearl Mystic with the just-as-vigorous The Hum, an exploration of motorik momentum, droning guitar distortion, and loud-quiet dynamics. When frontman and keyboardist MJ screeches into action on the opening track, "The Impasse," he demands your attention whether you understand what's being said or not. Though his actual words get swallowed in his shamanistic fervor, the guitars explode like bombs, their burnt wreckage scraping against the shimmering keyboards. Anchored by the steady rhythm section and underpinning organ chords, the chaos of MJ's unhinged vocal acrobatics and the whooshing guitar effects never verges into aimlessness, lending The Hum a steamrolling power laced with clever subtleties, from the harmonic overtones of single "On Leaving" to the Who-style background vocals of "Beginners," that keep things from becoming monochromatic. More accessible and less outright alien than its predecessor, The Hum marries the sexy danger of drone giants Spiritualized and Suicide with a classic-rock sensibility. Closer "Retreat" revolves around a Zeppelin-worthy power riff that explodes into sizzling hot solo lines that writhe like snapped power lines, while slow-burner "Off Screen" is the most melodically forthcoming track on the entire album, revealing a softer side to MJ's vocal delivery that recalls the frazzled intimacy of Yo La Tengo make-out jams like "Damage." On The Hum, this delicate balancing act between abrasive aggression and unfettered tunefulness positions Hookworms as an uncompromising experimental act with festival-sized ambitions, capable of synthesizing disparate and often contradictory sounds into a cohesive and compelling whole. * The title of Hookworms' third album is nothing if not misleading. A microshift would suggest that very little has changed since their last album, but the reality is quite different. The years between The Hum and this latest release have been filled with trials and tribulations, and change often follows such tumultuous times. For the three years since The Hum have, for the band, not been particularly fortuitous. Their home studio was flooded, which nearly bought the outfit to its knees, and there have been issues concerning death and mental and physical health too. It wouldn't have been surprising to find them retreating into darkness and creating an album of pure melancholy. Yet whilst Microshift deals with their problems, the band have kept things relatively light and begun to head in a completely different direction. Anyone familiar with their previous work will know that Hookworms is a band capable of pummelling their audience through relentless repetition, taking them on a transcendental journey. Their live shows can make even the staunchest non-mover finally give in and embrac -=- SHGZ -=- P.S. ** Thanks *** *** BCC FNT IPC SSR *** *** For Knowing Where The Music Is At *** --===-- ********************* * NuHS we miss you! * *********************