| Hundo's
Hub release starts out like the bastard child of Blues Traveler and those Brit
metal-cum-pop-balladeers the Manic Street Preachers. If you're familiar with both bands,
you know they have one thing in common: a L.V. with an extraordinary set of pipes. The
same is true for Hundo's Ryan Behling. He has no problem reaching the high notes that
elude the current crop of Chicago darling punk rockers. With his characteristic gruff
falsetto, he croons about his mind and his story and his brothers and his soul - you got
it: I think this guy's a hippie. In fact, I think the whole band is hippies. So, punks can
disregard the rest of this critical essay, but fans of hemp and sandals take note: this
album ain't half bad!
I imagine Hundo's live show is more compelling
than this release, which (quite rightly) puts the vocals in the forefront and keeps the
songs relatively short, with little room for jamming (This is the fault of the guy behind
the Protools.) But all the elements for a ripe jam session are here: the saxophone,
the keyboards, the excellent bass riffs. The song, "The Cycle" relies on a
bluesy harmonica opening. This track is also where Hundo shows off their soulful,
sensitive side. They slow things down a bit, and, perhaps sans the distracting saxophone,
their melodic piece about breakups, etc. actually fits on an album otherwise chock-full of
jammers. The other moody but excellent break in the rhythm is "Making Me Sick."
The song conjures memories of the Afghan Whigs "1965" album. Hundo, like the
group I just mentioned, have the ability to bring the music down to a barely audible
level, and keep it still totally compelling. Using dynamics to their brilliant advantage,
they then turn the volume up and rock out. It's a typical rock'n'roll gimmick, but few
bands can actually pull it off. Hundo does.
That's the story with the album. Hundo
accomplishes a certain level of musicianship that not all bands can pull off. Hell, they
accomplish something not all bands should even try lest they fail miserably and look
shoddy in comparison to this outfit. This 13-track release comes highly recommended to
hippies and the like, and anyone that's a fan of bands that go "chicka-chicka,
wa-wa," and on top of that, really know how to rock.
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