Send "The Hush Now " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 For a city that has over 50 colleges, including Berklee (one the world’s most esteemed music schools), as well as an endless assortment of legendary clubs, theaters, and music halls, Boston can be a surprisingly unforgiving city to an up-and-coming band. Sure, any kid who can play a couple of chords can easily find him or herself a gig in Boston, and they might even work their way up to a headlining Friday night slot at the Paradise or the Middle East. After living in the city for 16 years, I’ve learned that finding success outside of Boston means leaving Boston. Once-local bands like Passion Pit and Ra Ra Riot traded Allston for Williamsburg the second their names showed up on the buzz blotter. Seven years ago, you could walk into the sorely missed Marty’s Liquors and purchase a delicious deli sandwich made by either Hooray for Earth’s Noel Heroux or Twin Shadow’s George Lewis Jr., depending on the day. Heroux and Lewis scraped it out for years in Boston to little avail. Then they moved to NYC. Now they’re everywhere. Boston quintet The Hush Now have been on the circuit for a few years now, but on Memos, their third full-length album in three years, the band sounds like they’re itching for a chance to compete on the national level. Working with ace local producer Benny Grotto, the band trades the indie pop aesthetic of earlier releases for a polished, arena-ready sound that’s a perfect match for this set of massive, hook-heavy songs. Guided by singer and chief songwriter Noel Kelly’s velvety croon, The Hush Now often sound like a turbo-charged local version of The Smiths here, minus the melancholy. Memos wastes little time announcing its intentions. Opener and leadoff single “Arkansas” rides twinkling piano and ringing guitars toward a million-watt chorus, the first of many. Listeners will be pinned to their seats by “Clouds”, a giddy head rush of a song that’s powered by Barry Marino’s relentless drumming. The pace slows temporarily for the airy title track, which finds guitarist Adam Quane doing his best Johnny Marr, before “Cameraphone” comes swaggering along with a delicious, searing synth lick and a positively orgiastic vocal turn from Kelly. I’m not sure if the late ‘90s club jam “The Glow” is supposed to be taken literally, but it sure is a lot of fun after the initial shock wears off. While there’s no shortage of finely crafted pop here, it’s the jazzy, nocturnal ballad “Sitting on a Slow Clock” that provides the album with its emotional centerpiece. With its gorgeous melody, whispered vocals, and delightfully off-kilter trumpet solo, “Clock” is the sort of song you wish you could hear at last call after a long wintry evening spent in some Brooklyn bar. The song speaks volumes to the band’s versatility as musicians and songwriters, which makes one eager to hear what the band will come up with next. ...full text |
| Digitalhippos |
| he indie pop genre is a well trodden one to be sure, with bands coming out of the ether left and right trying to make a name for themselves and stand out among the others. It's obvious that some are just in it for the trend, but there are the ones that are passionate about what they do and have a real sincerity to their music. With a genre so popular these days it can be hard to tell the two apart. So which category does Boston MA's The Hush Now fall into? Memos is the third full length to be released from this quintet since 2008, proving they are dedicated if nothing else. They've managed to get into the top 100 charts of independent music and have done quite well for themselves while still being an unsigned effort. The Hush Now have stuck to the indie pop structure through and through so far, and Memos is no different. From the first track (and single) "Arkansas," the upbeat mood that the entire 37 minute running time will expand upon is set. The album makes me think of a group of close knit teenagers on summer nights, living their lives in the moment. While this is the only real emotional key of the album, each track shows it at slightly different angles and sounds different enough so it doesn't bore you, and the running time helps this as well. Short, sweet, and to the point. The Hush Now aren't afraid to wear their influences on their sleeves either, putting traits from the likes of surf rock and shoegaze into their strict pop structure. Yet they keep out a very very popular trick used in those genres, that being the use of reverb. The production here is very polished and lean, and you can hear everything that's going on. Something becoming less and less seen with indie music, which is something a lot of people are commenting on as a plus for this band. The main driving force on the album is the guitar, which is definitely the most prominent thing in the music. Each song is based off one or two very catchy guitar hooks, with the drums and bass being very downplayed in the background. The vocals are right in front with the guitars, and seem to hearken back to the distinct style of pop singers of the 80's, with very simple run-of-the-mill lyrics. Overall the instrumentation is very simple and predictable, while still being catchy. There are a few rare occasions on the album that a piano or a saxophone are thrown in, but they're more for backing and they could be given a much more prominent spot than they have and that would have given Memos a more interesting and deep sound. But as is, they have a nice touch when they do appear. Some of the songs are catchier than others, and will have you bopping in your seat having a good time. Others will have you slightly losing interest, but they're spread out enough that it doesn't entirely drop it's momentum....full text |
| Inyourspeakers |
| When Boston's The Hush Now released their single “Arkansas back in September we here at IYS called it a tease for the rest of the album. We were right. Memos,, the band's thrid album, was released September 27th and followed by a whirlwind mini-tour culminating with the band playing CMJ in NYC. Honestly, this is the best effort yet from The Hush Now. Ten tracks and there isn’t a weak one on the entire thing. There’s a dynamic that seems to have grown over the past few years and for Memos, The Hush Now have pulled out all the stops with fantastic results. Memos features the sounds The Hush Now are so good at--smooth, sexy melodies with Noel Kelly’s vocals streaming along with them. There’s something old school and fresh at the same time about Noel’s style. His voice floats so easily between a soft, almost delicate mumble in “A Mother’s Lament,” to the more clipped and precise falsetto of “The Glow.” He makes the songs easy to listen to and hard to forget with his unique sound. The thing that really strikes me about this album, aside from a noticeably higher production value, is the fact that there’s not a slow drag on the whole release. Every track has a great movement. “Cameraphone” has a fantastic edgy feel thanks to Adam Quane’s solid guitar work riding along in a great juxtaposition to the light-touch work of John Millar on keyboards. The bass and drums for The Hush Now (Pat McDonald and Barry Marino, respectively) keep such smooth and perfect time it’s hard to go wrong. Anywhere. Ever....full text |
The Hush Now lyrics
|
| |||||||
