(Aesthetics Records - www.aesthetics-usa.com) [Genres: indie rock, indie pop, electronica]
First
of all, I'd like to remind you that Hood is the band responsible for last year's excellent
"Home Is Where It Hurts" EP, which is startlingly different from this one. But
with that aside, I shall begin. When I first heard that this album was to have
contributing vocals by emcees Dose One and Why?, I was mortified. I never thought that
rapping could be used effectively in an indie rock context, and, frankly, I don't actually
like rapping at all. But, in this case, their vocals are used appropriately and don't
subtract from Hood's trademark melodic pop. In fact, the rapping compliments it nicely.
Hood has also added another factor, electronica, into this pot pourri of music. The
electronics are used in a variety of ways. For example, in the fifth song, "The
Winter Hit Hard," it is used to create a neat, glitchy aspect to the song. In the
first song it is used to create the beat for part of the piece. This melding of genres is
very nice and admirable, but after their breathtaking EP, this album seems to be a bit of
a letdown. It is by no means a failure, though.
First
of all, I'd like to remind you that Hood is the band responsible for last year's excellent
"Home Is Where It Hurts" EP, which is startlingly different from this one. But
with that aside, I shall begin. When I first heard that this album was to have
contributing vocals by emcees Dose One and Why?, I was mortified. I never thought that
rapping could be used effectively in an indie rock context, and, frankly, I don't actually
like rapping at all. But, in this case, their vocals are used appropriately and don't
subtract from Hood's trademark melodic pop. In fact, the rapping compliments it nicely.
Hood has also added another factor, electronica, into this pot pourri of music. The
electronics are used in a variety of ways. For example, in the fifth song, "The
Winter Hit Hard," it is used to create a neat, glitchy aspect to the song. In the
first song it is used to create the beat for part of the piece. This melding of genres is
very nice and admirable, but after their breathtaking EP, this album seems to be a bit of
a letdown. It is by no means a failure, though.