You’d Prefer an Astronaut (RCA)
by Joshua Brown
Cool fuzz drone stuff, that will be popular with the CMJ crowd. Most of it sounds almost note for note like My Bloody Valentine with the guy singing. Some parts are quiet, others pretty ballsy. Hum will undoubtedly be plugged as one of the better new “alternative” bands on the scene, and deservedly so. As the lead singer forlornly proclaims, “She thinks she’s missed the train to Mars/She’s out back counting stars,” I thought, great, just what we need, another suffering artist who’s trying to be astral and profound. It took me until the climax of “Suicide Machine” (“so bring no guilt with your love above the flatline, it just hit the sky exploding into one”) to make me understand that Hum really have something to say. They come from the point of view of one who is nearly somnambulant, passing so much of their time in dream worlds that they become morose and apathetic toward the material world. You’d Prefer an Astronaut comes strongly recommended.