Howard Hello
Now, I know a few other blogs beat me to the punch on this, but as the Spring slowly fades into Summer I can't think of a better record to recommend to scissorkick readers than the newest EP from Howard Hello. Kenseth Thibideau is essentially the mastermind of this mostly instrumental project, one that fits perfectly on the Temporary Residence imprint. Thibideau, who also released records with Tarantel and Rumah Sakit for TR, currently plays keys in Pinback, and while I am a fan of all three of his other endeavors, none resonate as personally for me as Howard Hello. The newest EP continues the Fahey-via-Stereolab blueprint, looping acoustic and electric guitars lavishly over each other for a clean, layered ambience. Yet what I find most effective about the new EP (and the old stuff) is simply the optimism conveyed by each track. This is happy, uplifting music that develops slowly and in a building linear form that adds unpredictability and continually raises the emotive threshold. The mix of organic and electronic elements is seamless and simply another argument that instrumentation need not be delineated by such categories. Sure, I'm often guilty of it, but this is one more reason for music to simply be music. Resources
Howard Hello :: "More of the Same"