Rustic Houses, Forlorn Valleys

Chronique

Hood offer up long tunes in repetitive grooves on Rustic Houses Forlorn Valleys. When each of the tracks begin, they have an atmospheric quality. Guitars play in and out of tune, setting up the initial groove. Strings and singing break up the repetition of the grooves. When used sparingly, Hood employ a wonderful use of wind instruments to add texture to the songs, sounding a lot like Movietone. The singing vocal parts are a distraction at times to the music; perhaps they should be lower in the mix. "Your Ambient Voice" is the highlight on Rustic Houses Forlorn Valleys. Tape loops and samples speeding up and slowing down are a wonderful surprise that sound a bit like scratching. Strings enter to the drum and bass jam, while guitar switches gears in the middle of the song to add on to the same flow of the rhythm section. "Diesel Pioneers" creates a great meditative environment with its slow-moving, gradual flow. Late in the song, the track turns to a very distorted shoegaze jam, My Bloody Valentine-like, which is where Hood should stay. They seem to excel in the early '90s space rock arena. Hood's Rustic Houses Forlorn Valleys is a sound record that leaves you a bit short. The listener will pull for them to take their good intentions and move them into a better direction.
© Francis Arres /TiVo