Hookworms
The Hum
11 November 2014
Weird World
3.5 stars out of 5
The Hum is the
second widely available album by Leeds-based neo-psychedelic quintet Hookworms,
after last year’s critically acclaimed noise-rock mindfuck that was Pearl Mystic. Sequenced to blend
together as three long movements (much like Pearl
Mystic), the nine songs and thirty-eight minutes that make up The Hum take various chaotic detours,
through the drugged-out garage rock of the ‘60s California coast to the
drugged-out velvety expositions of ‘80s Spacemen 3, to arrive at what is, in
essence, a party record.
I assume that at this party there are safe rooms to explore
whatever substances you choose to injest, inhale, or inject, and some serious
hi-fi speakers to allow you to get the most out of The Hum. There are plenty of places to launch yourself into
complete audio exploration. “Beginners” is an unstoppable juggernaut of a trip,
taking the fuzzstorted VU tone of Yo La Tengo and mixing it with the manic groove
adherence of SMZ. “Off Screen” is the gentle chill-out you’re going to need
afterwards, a near-ballad that starts off slowly before administering heaps of
noise in its later moments. The closer, “Regret,” is about as accessible as it
gets for Hookworms, and once you gain access to it (through whatever legal or
illegal means you choose), you’re in for an epic VU-meets-Neu! treat that you
won’t soon forget. Unless you’re really too wasted to even know what city you’re
in. Which is a possibility if you’re a Hooksworms junkie.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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