Throughout their six year career, Hugh have turned in recordings that improve considerably on those that preceded them, and 1998's Brave Little Soldier is no exception. Again, the songwriting and playing are consistently excellent and are immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with the band's work. Hugh knows their strengths and sticks with them, however, their sonic palette continues to expand; they sound comfortable in their own artistic skin, yet eager to explore new instrumentation and take stylistic chances.
This delicate balancing act between the familiar and the experimental is evident in the album's finest moments, the monstrous 12 minute opus "Ashtrayland" and the gut-wrenchingly romantic masterpiece "Jupiter's Gone." On both tracks, Rosenheim's vocal delivery is both poignant and tough, a perfect match for some of the finest lyrics he has written to date. "It hurts to be loved...but it hurts worse to love," sings Rosenheim, evoking the destruction of a million hearts with a line so beautiful in its simplicity that it seems incredible that it is sung here for the first time.
The perfect foil for the flamboyant intelligence of Rosenheim's songs, drummer Gavin Foster is both the thinking man's percussionist and a dude with some serious chops. His playing is seamlessly intertwined with Rosenheim's vocals and lyrics, at turns delicate and vulnerable and aggressive and rowdy. Bassist John Murray gives another energetic and adventuresome performance, his lack of reservation a welcome counterpart to the surgical precision of Rosenheim and Foster.
Hugh's music is a welcome reminder of what rock n' roll can and should be.
If you like Hugh, check out:
Dinosaur Jr. You're Living All Over Me
Neil Young
Slint Spiderland
Hugh Lucky Drive
psst...you might wanna check out our indie rock abode for more features on (guess what) indie rock bands.
-- Dave Rosen
