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 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

HiM - ‚ñ [Hip Hip Hip - 2010]

HiM(not to be confused with the finish dark metal pop band of the same name) make a vibrate, colourful  & often buoyant  mixture of: bright Afro Beat textures,  tight & complex yet harmonic post rock & jazz rock. Pretty & ornate oriental music, dub elements & all manner of other bright yet genre mixed & world music traits. I know this sounds like it could be a mess, but HiM  really pull it all off with an sunny, harmonic yet virtuoso flair through-out all of‚ñ.  

The project was original put together in 1995 & still is centred around Doug Scharin; a gifted drummer, percussionist &  multi-instrumentalist  whose worked with the likes of Activities of Dust, June of 44, Codeine, Rex, Mice Parade. This is the projects 12 album & the thing that makes it so rewarding, fresh & enjoyable is the way Scharin & his band tie together the complex genre elements & different world  flavours in such a seemingly carefree, bright & joyous manner. Youfll find tight harmonic jazz rock guitar noodlings sliding down steel drum colour, though Cuban rhythms onto  hints of the oriental gentleness & slight of touch. The album is primal instrumental though there is still a lot of  vocal harmonics & singing  going on  here too; and just like the albums musical identity the vocals dart all over the world from the warming & joyous Afro vocalising, to ornate oriental, to buoyant Caribbean & beyond.

Turly ‚ñ is a real sonic breath of fresh air thatfs playful, buoyant, yet never twee or too nicey- nicey. Itfs complex, muilt-layered, yet never showy or too ego bound. Its always approachable & charming yet always channelling & almost gravity defying in itfs mixing of different musical genres & world music colours. One of the first real surprises & joys of 2010.

Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5Rating: 5 out of 5

Roger Batty
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