The Hush Sound: Goodbye Blues

The Indie Review
By Sean Duregger
April 18, 2008

Artist: The Hush Sound
Album: Goodbye Blues
Label: Fueled By Ramen/Decaydance
Rating:

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I discovered The Hush Sound with their last release, Like Vines. It was a fresh departure from Powerpop/Emo/Screamo that was beginning to saturate the scene. Their Jazz infused Pop came off pretty irresistible and that album stayed in my CD player for an extended amount of time before it was placed into my gigantic iTunes Library.

The Hush Sound is back with their third studio release, Goodbye Blues. Instead of giving us more of the same, they have grown as musicians and songwriters; taking risks on new sounds while remaining true to their Jazzy overtones. For the most part, the musical strides they have taken pay off. Goodbye Blues is an album that isn’t as memorable as Like Vines, but a solid release nonetheless.

The main problem with Goodbye Blues lies in the vocals. It seems like they have taken a step back and just aren’t as solid as previous efforts. While I appreciate how Greta Salpeter and Robert Morris trade off vocal responsibilities, Robert’s vocals are overshadowed by Greta’s sultry and smooth voice. The most memorable songs on Goodbye Blues are graced with Greta’s voice. Hopefully on their next album, Robert takes the passenger seat a little more and lets Greta take over most the vocal responsibility. Her voice is extremely powerful and unique.

Musically, The Hush Sound show tremendous growth with Goodbye Blues. They are trying new things and not copying any formulas here. The songs take more time to warm up to, and are definitely less catchy this time around. Which is unfortunate. Like Vines had numerous gems, while Goodbye Blues makes you wait and dig a little bit to find it’s gems. But, I will say that the songs that stand out on Goodbye Blues have incredible weight and sincerity behind them. The solid production, interesting song arrangements and ingenious musicianship make up for any shortcomings.

With Goodbye Blues, The Hush Sound have shown they can evolve as a band and offer something new yet familiar. While not their best album, Goodbye Blues has it’s moments and solidifies The Hush Sound as a band to continue to pay attention to.

Stand Out Tracks:

“Honey”

“Medicine Man”

“The Boys Are Too Refined”