Even though they got their first big break opening for our nemesis panic@?&*% at the disco, i must confess that i quite like the hush sound.  their 2006 sophomore effort like vines is nicely crafted, almost big-band ish, and definitely fun to listen to, if not even one of the better records to come out of the chicago music scene in awhile.  the lyrics do sometimes touch on the artsy-yet-sincere side but are way more literate and inventive than the typical why-don’t-you-love-me-i’ll-do-anything formula that current radio eats up with a spoon.  in a weird way this album reminds me of 2001 era call and response, which is never a bad thing when you’re in the mood for spacey california sugarpop.

anyway, the hush sound kids are definitely good musicians - the catchy, upbeat tunes alternate male and female vocals and have some interesting energy to them.  the single “wine red” is addictive, “sweet tangerines” has some gorgeous piano and my favourite song off the album, “lions roar,” is about a circus (what else?) and has that slightly evil carnival flavour to it that i love so much.  they use some more classic, jazzier instruments than your average pop beast does and all the elements combine to make this great little driving album, perfect for summer and happiness and all that crap. 

on the con side, i should warn you that the hush sound is young and hip and perhaps a tad annoyingly ingenue at times, like they would love to be mysterious but don’t know exactly how to pull it off.  it’s a very earnest endeavor and at times you could even call it…god forbid…perky, all traits which i imagine my ex’s current girlfriend to have, come to think of it. that’s judging from her inane myspace page, which i freely confess i occasionally peruse for the entertainment value.  oh don’t be like that - you do it too.  it’s what myspace is for, after all…finding new music and watching attention-hungry people attempt to define themselves with charming little online personas while splashing cutesy and ridiculous personal info all over the intarwebz for our voyeuristic pleasure. 

but man, do i digress.  whew.  so yeah, the hush sound.  good band.  enjoyable sound.  fun to jump around to.  and while we’re on the topic of myspace, lovely marketing vehicle that it is, please check out some of the hush sound’s songs and maybe catch them on tour.  dates after the jump.

Nov 1 2006 7:00P
 The Loft Minneapolis, MN
Nov 2 2006 5:30P
 The House Of Bricks Des Moines, IA
Nov 3 2006 7:00P
 Illinois Wesleyan University Bloomington, IL
Nov 4 2006 7:00P
 Creepy Crawl St. Louis, MO
Nov 5 2006 7:15P
 Sokol Underground Omaha, NE
Nov 7 2006 7:00P
 Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
Nov 8 2006 7:00P
 Club Sound Salt Lake City, UT
Nov 9 2006 6:30P
 The Venue Boise, ID
Nov 10 2006 9:00P
 Hawthorne Theatre Portland, OR
Nov 11 2006 8:00P
 Chop Suey Seattle, WA
Nov 13 2006 7:30P
 Slim’s San Francisco, CA
Nov 14 2006 7:30P
 The Boardwalk Orangevale, CA
Nov 15 2006 7:00P
 Soma San Diego, CA
Nov 16 2006 7:00P
 El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, CA
Nov 17 2006 7:00P
 SOLD OUT: Chain Reaction Anaheim, CA
Nov 18 2006 7:00P
 The Clubhouse Tempe, AZ
Nov 20 2006 7:00P
 Emo’s Alternative Lounging Austin, TX
Nov 21 2006 7:00P
 The Door Dallas, TX
Nov 22 2006 7:00P
 Meridian Red Room Houston, TX
Nov 24 2006 8:00P
 Culture Room Fort Lauderdale, FL
Nov 25 2006 8:00P
 The State Theatre St. Petersburg, FL
Nov 26 2006 7:00P
 The Social Orlando, FL
Nov 28 2006 7:00P
 Masquerade - Downstairs Atlanta, GA
Nov 29 2006 7:00P
 Tremont Music Hall - Casbah Charlotte, NC
Nov 30 2006 7:30P
 Fletcher’s Baltimore, MD
Dec 1 2006 6:30P
 Club Ritual  Levittown, NY
Dec 2 2006 7:30P
 Theatre Of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
Dec 3 2006 7:00P
 School of Rock 31 Schrieffer St., NJ
Dec 5 2006 7:00P
 Knitting Factory New York, NY
Dec 7 2006 6:00P
 Axis Boston, MA
Dec 8 2006 7:00P
 The Icon Buffalo, NY
Dec 9 2006 7:00P
 Mr Smalls Theatre Millvale, PA
Dec 11 2006 7:00P
 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH
Dec 12 2006 7:00P
 The Basement Columbus, OH
Dec 13 2006 7:00P
 Mad Hatter Covington, KY
Dec 14 2006 7:00P
 St. Andrew’s Hall Detroit, MI
Dec 15 2006 5:30P
 The Temple Club Lansing, MI
Dec 16 2006 7:00P
 The Eagles Club (The Rave) Milwaukee, WI
Dec 17 2006 6:45P
 House of Blues Chicago, IL

 

3 Comments »

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

Leave a comment