The Hush Now: The legend of Dudley Town (Hallowen Single, 2011)

Tal y como reza el encabezamiento, The Hush Now se pusieron en contacto con nosotros para ofrecernos el estreno de este single especialmente realizado para la arraigada festividad anglosajona de Halloween. Nosotros, para no variar nuestras costumbres, lo posteamos algo tarde, porque ya sabéis que no nos van demasiado postear discos demasiado recientes, mayormente por falta de tiempo, no por ninguna otra razón.
En cualquier caso, este The legend of Dudley Town, es un tema preñado de ese ambiente algo tétrico y fantasmagórico propio de la festividad, y está dedicado a Dudley Town, una ciudad fantasma de Conneticut y toda su cohorte de leyenda. A nosotros todo eso nos da igual, y nos importa más realmente su música. Como sabéis, The Hush Now ya han aparecido en TJB, y aunque este single se aleja algo de sus presupuestos musicales, y ya que nos lo hicieron llegar, pues le cedemos el espacio en el blog. Por cierto, el tema está disponible para su descarga digital gratuita desde su Bandcamp.

The Hush Now – The legend of Dudley Town (Halloween Single, 2011)

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The Hush Now: Memos (2011)

“Boston indie-pop quintet The Hush Now have made an impression on music critics and fans by wedding the “lush sugar-spun melodies of shoegaze’s dreamy heyday” to “the hooky muscle of bands like Guided by Voices and Built To Spill” as one critic put it” (Bandcamp)

The Hush Now – Demos (2011)

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The Hush Now: Constellations (2011)

Que el Indie-Pop de los noventa está absolutamente vigente es un hecho constatable. Perfectamente distinguible en discos como el de The Hush Now, este Constellations, un disco absolutamente preñado de la huella sonora de aquella década prodigiosa en cuanto a creatividad sonora y lírica se refiere. Bandas como Guided by Voices, Built to Spill, o los mismos Teenage Fanclub aparecen como algunas de las principales referencias de la banda de Boston. Si bien es cierto que esta reedición del álbum del 2010 comienza con una energía powerpopera chispeante (Contrails) y que ésta se va apagando a lo largo de su escucha, su sonido, una especie de mezcla entre aquellos sonidos y la influencias de gentes como Los Campesinos! (The atheist), es un fresco cóctel de energía creativa en los dos mil. Para celebrar esta reedición, la banda ha decidido colgar el disco en su Bandcamp para que cada cual le ponga el precio que considere oportuno. Por cierto, su portada, absolutamente rayante, me recuerda algo a los dibujos del chanante Joaquín Reyes. ¿O no?

The Hush Now – Constellations (2011)

“In The Anxiety of Influence, Harold Bloom argues all poetry is influenced by what came before it, either through imitation or reaction. Whether or not The Hush Now are aware of Bloom’s work is unclear, however, they do validate his theory.
Constellations is shot through with familiarity, from the chiming power-chords of ‘Contrails’ to the lumbering climax of ‘Carousel’. The record lies in the shadows of power-pop, from the Posies through to Teenage Fanclub – the Hush Now don’t shy away from their influence.
Following on from last year’s eponymous debut, Constellations has a rougher sound; with a focus on perfecting the three-minute blast of ‘Sadie Hawkins Dance’. But despite familiar themes, it seems the chaps shot their load with the yearning indie-pop of ‘Sadie…’. The sense of midsummer longing remains on Constellations, though Noel Kelly’s vocals have taken an unfortunate turn.
Whilst Kelly’s voice has always been nasal, here he sounds as if his two core influences have been Save the Day’s Chris Connelly and Kermit the Frog. Nasality as such isn’t an issue, and for some bands it’s enough to build a career around but here it transforms the record from charming, if uninspired to a tedious slog.
‘Misanthrope’ is shapeless; Kelly’s vocals are thrown over a lilting instrumental last seen as a fade-out on Friends. Sandwiched between ‘Smokescreen’, which provides a respite from cartoonish vocals with a solid, if bland performance, and ‘I Saw You First’, a song with a title suggesting rather more intensity than the band could muster.
The power-pop perfected on The Hush Now remains intact, but the lack of any marked progress and limited references mean that that’s hardly a reassurance. ‘All You’ve Said and Done’ is born from the same school of middle-of-the-road fuck nuggetry as Foo Fighters’ ‘Times Like These’. 3/4 rhythms are paired with jangling chords as Kelly hangs limply from the chorus with all the intent of a wet flannel. That’s not to say that the record is unpalatable, but it lacks any real drive, dispassionate performances render the power-pop somewhat functionless. This is pleasant, but not in any manner that will encourage endearment.
The Hush Now fail to captivate the listener, yet in this they are saved. A casual lack of conviction and overwhelming feeling of emptiness throughout the record turns your opinion as it begins to blacken. They may be middle-of-the-road, but there is some comfort in their undoubting acceptance of this. The Hush Now could be a good band, but the lack of conviction that saves them from oblivion leaves enough rope to hang them. It’s not as if they have misplaced assurance in what they’re doing, but it would be nice to feel that there’s a little more belief in the band than merely passing the time of day” (drownedinsound.com)

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