Hierophant
"Popular Astronomy" CD
self-released
Genres: indie rock
November 2006 |
Semi-typical indie rock from this group of
Cincinnati musicians. With all members sharing songwriting duties
there's some measure of variety on Popular Astronomy but on the
whole it's a little dull. The slick production values lend the effort
a solid amount of gloss (though not to a repulsive extent), but the
main thing holding this disc back is the lack of an immediately
infectious tune. Too much of this turns into grating and unoriginal
rock, especially some of the longer songs, and it's only occasional
moments that stand out. Among these are elegantly groovy "Given the
Business," which evokes the image of a shady jazz bar, and profusely
fun "Starshot". Aside from the highlights, however (as well as some
brief interludes), there's a whole lot of middle-range stuff on offer
here. It's diggable, for sure, but nothing incredible. If
Hierophant can craft a whole record out of their more innovative
material they could have something.
mp3s (from hierophantsound.com):
given the business,
starshot
70%
Fun Fact: According to
wikipedia: "The role of the hierophant in religion is to bring the
congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy."
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by
CD Baby,
released 2005] |