Thursday, July 4, 2013

Hum - Downward Is Heavenward (1998)


One of the most underrated alt-rock albums of the 90s [2022 edit: I swear, when I wrote this, Hum did not get the same kind of love as they do now. As far as I knew, anyway, maybe I'm wrong.] Sounds like a stoned Helmet-Sunny Day Real Estate collaboration. Beautiful, hazy, heavy, and passionate. Their previous album featured their one and only hit, "Stars," and Downward Is Heavenward was, I'd imagine, an attempt to capitalize on its unexpected success. Unfortunately, as it turned out, their sound had very little mainstream appeal, the album was a commercial flop, and they broke up shortly after its release.

Track listing:
1. Isle of the Cheetah
2. Comin' Home
3. If You Are to Bloom
4. Ms. Lazarus
5. Afternoon with the Axolotls
6. Green to Me
7. Dreamboat
8. The Inuit Promise

Systems back down slow, watch the dust cloud we send
And I will keep you, I will keep you to the end
Set your head back low, watch my ears ring
I will take care of you, I will take care of everything

5 comments:

  1. hey, this dl link is down - would be grateful for a re-up!

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  2. God, what a great album. They've begun playing shows again in the last few years, though! Saw them at the Regent in LA, and they killed.

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    1. Yes! I saw them in Portland OR in 2015, great show

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