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The Music Man
Shhhh…it’s The Hush Sound
Back from a well-spent Labor Day weekend with one song stuck in my head: Wine Red
No, not “Red, Red Wine”; that song that the UB-40 reggae band sung in the 80’s, but the song crooned by classically trained pianist Greta Salpeter, accompanied by rock guitarist Bob Morris on vocals.
The duet was supported by their ex-bassist Chris Faller (replaced by Mike Leblanc) and Darren Wilson on drums and vocals.
Did you notice “ex-bassist?” Well shortly after that, the band went on a “vacation,” aka, “hiatus,” aka “we will be back shortly…maybe,” aka, “I guess we should just break up.”
Alright, so they did not say, “break up,” but to their fans they might as well have.
The band released three solid albums: So Sudden (2005), Like Vines (2006), and finally Goodbye Blues (2008).
I was disheartened to read they were splitting up momentarily to create solo work and I knew at that moment, that I might never see them live to perform their indie songs. About half in every album is sung by Greta, half by Bob, and a handful where they both sing; they would trade off verses, or one would only sing the verses and the other the chorus.
This was ‘The Hush Sound’ at their best, both male and female singers exchanging lyrics in what sounded like truly harmonious music. They complemented each other so well you would forget that the rest of their album was split between songs with only Morris, and songs with only Salpeter.
With songs like, “The Boys Are Too Refined,” in their last effort and, “Wine Red,” you can appreciate the two’s dynamics; a reminder of how many of the Beatles albums were split, between Lennon and McCartney, but when they shared credit and both sung they would create songs that 40 years later my 10-year-old cousin sings.
Not that ‘The Hush Sound’ will ever amount to anything. The Beatles did, but their collaboration is a spitting image of the leaders of the Fab Four.
With a pianist who could make any song jumpy or melancholy and a guitar which provided the rougher, but clean-sounding guitar to the jazzy piano, ‘The Hush Sound’ have left the music scene with a cliff hanger.
Will they ever return? I don’t know, but for the sake of my “Studying Playlist” on iTunes, I sure hope so.
If you like ‘The Hush Sound,’ you will also like: Eisley, The Narrative, Metric, Regina Spektor.
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About the Blogger
Hello, I'm a broke college student currently at UCLA. What's my name? Don't worry about it...but seeing that I have to give it, it's Raziel Lizarraga and I enjoy anything that has to do with contemporary music.Born in Mexico, I have lived in Imperial Valley for 15 years and still can't get used to wearing shorts all year long.
What will I blog on? Good question, I mentioned contemporary music as being an art that I enjoy but I'll specifically comment on rock music and anything else except rap. I encourage comments amongst readers and I'll try to address questions concerning my excerpts on a "If-I-like-it" basis.
Previous Posts
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Dude you should totally write those album reviews on amazon. Hey, maybe you’ll end up being one of those top 500 reviewers! you know your stuff Raz, keep it up!
Thanks KC! I’ll definitely keep writing then.
:/ well, thanks for the scoop. The hush sound is my favorite band, so I hope they decided to get back together.
Guess we will just have to wait and see.