by Christopher J. Lee (@joonhai)
During the frenzied 1990s heyday of corporate scavenging for the next Nirvana, it was all too easy for bands to get quick attention only to be dropped unceremoniously when the limelight looked elsewhere. Hailing from Champaign, Illinois, the band Hum falls into this category, though, unlike many of their peers of the time, there is more substance to their recordings than any hit single might suggest. For this reason, the re-release of four of their albums on vinyl – Electra 2000 (1993), You’d Prefer an Astronaut (1995), and Downward is Heavenward (1998) from their peak period, plus their recent reunion LP Inlet from 2020 – is deserved and will hopefully give them renewed attention.
The hit single they did have is “Stars” from their major label (RCA) debut You’d Prefer an Astronaut: a smart, catchy track that checked all the boxes at the time with its grunge-heavy guitars and loud-soft-loud dynamic. It still holds up as an artifact of that time, though the album bears a number of other songs that are less formulaic and more interesting as a result. The introspective opener “Little Dipper” employs a thick wall of sound approach that knocks you down and envelopes you in a sonic warmth, signaling the influence of Britain’s shoegaze scene of the time and the style and production of acts like My Bloody Valentine circa Loveless. The second track “The Pod” builds a hardcore momentum that reflects the earlier songcraft of Electra 2000 (more on that album in the next paragraph), while “Suicide Machine” dials things down once more. “I’d Like Your Hair Long” is a late album single that still stands. The closer “Songs of Farewell and Departure” has a slowcore, post-rock feel as cultivated by the famed denizens of Louisville, Kentucky.
This last observation is informed by Hum’s preceding album Electra 2000, which reveals further traces of the Louisville-Chicago axis via labels like Touch and Go. In retrospect, it is a fascinating listen for this reason, documenting a different set of regional influences from those found on its successor. With foregrounded percussion and melodic bass lines complementing respective guitar leads, bands like June of 44, the Jesus Lizard, Bitch Magnet, and Seam come to mind, in addition to Slint. Helmed by Brad Wood, who would shortly go on to fame for producing Liz Phair’s Exile in Guyville, also released in 1993, the opening track “Iron Clad Lou” sets the LP’s tone with its wandering instrumental intro before launching into a set of metal-adjacent power chords. Subsequent tracks like “Pinch and Roll,” “Scraper,” and “Winder” continue this metal/hardcore momentum, while others like “Shovel,” “Pewter,” and “Sundress” methodically indulge a prog/math rock approach with slower tempos and momentum shifts that intentionally stall and start. Songs like “Double Dip” and the outro “Diffuse” each build toward a cathartic guitar climax. On the latter, vocalist Matt Talbott screams as effectively as Brian McMahan does at the end of “Good Morning, Captain.”
Taken together, Electra 2000 and You’d Prefer an Astronaut work dialectically with the former’s undomesticated indie cred (thesis) opposed to the latter’s commercial pop sensibility (antithesis). Following this logic, Downward is Heavenward would present a synthesis of these contrasting approaches and to a great extent it does, with anticipated mixed results. The song “Comin’ Home” was released as the lead single, though it lacks the obvious hooks of “Stars.” Tracks “If You Are to Bloom,” “Green to Me” (the second single), and “The Inuit Promise” fare better and are sunnier in disposition. “Apollo” is a quiet number akin to “Suicide Machine” that shows Hum’s power of restraint – a quality worthy of further exploration on their part, though largely absent from their oeuvre. As a whole, Downward is Heavenward often sounds like a band at odds with itself, unable to resolve the tension between commercial success and artistic credibility – a dilemma that animated the work of many indie acts of that era.
Hum’s recent LP Inlet is both a return to form and a move forward. Less commercially oriented than You’d Prefer an Astronaut and more cohesive than Downward is Heavenward, its production quality and prog-rock-friendly atmospherics suggest the influence of post-2000 acts like Explosions in the Sky – especially the opening track “Waves” – even though Talbott’s vocals remain. Stated differently, this album more firmly situates Hum in the post-rock canon. Standout songs include “In the Den,” “Step Into You,” and “Folding,” each of which exhibit immersive guitarwork that harks back to the best instincts of You’d Prefer an Astronaut. The closer “Shapeshifter” is epic in scope, providing a fitting conclusion to this ambitious return that also points to the future.
The simultaneous reissue of these albums late last year just before Christmas seems like inopportune timing for garnering a second (or third) look. However, if Inlet is any indication, Hum haven’t lost their sense of artistic intuition for that elusive space between experimentation and mainstream appeal. With the passing of drummer Bryan St. Pere in 2021, the re-release of these LPs could be a legacy gesture, though it may also serve as a prelude. There is continuity and evolution between these albums, with no sign that Hum have exhausted their reserves.