I'd no idea until I checked out their website in detail that Leeds via Wetherby alliance HOOD have actually been operating in one format or other for a staggering 15 years, taking in tours with Low and Mogwai and collaborations with weirdo San Franciscan rapper cLOUDDEAD en route. I'd only been aware of a couple of their recent releases and slightly belatedly began enjoying their recent album "Outside Closer" in the past few weeks.
Taken from that, new single "The Negatives" is a typically alluring, pigeonhole-sidestepping set-piece. It's floaty, airy avant-pop with the emphasis placed very firmly on the 'pop', with occasional rhythmic glitches and stumbles to ensure you don't get too complacent. Richard Adams' voice is drowsy, sultry and approachable and the strings and woodwind enhance the whole caboodle perfectly. It's one of those beauties that seemingly wafts in from the ether sounding beautiful without seemingly breaking sweat.
The two B-sides suggest value for money remains utmost in Hood's collective consciousness too. "Squint In The First Light Of Day" is the first and it's an oddball, intriguing affair built around what appears to be a sampled voice that's half folky warble/ half Muezzin wail. It's aided and abetted by rolling drums, loops and edits galore, but crucially remembers to ensure the emotional quality in Hood's work remains intact.
|
Arguably, the concluding "The Sad Decline Of Home" is even better. This time, the track kicks off with a lazy, inchoate strum which wobbles forward with a shot of determination after a dubby bassline lopes into view. It then revels in a stoned'n'lovely vocal arrangement (think Brian Wilson scoring Gregorian chants) which slowly congeals into a string and woodwind symphony of true hypnotic power.
Hood, then, are the sort of band who could slowly but surely ensnare you into a long-term love affair. "The Negatives" wins you over with ease after a meagre few plays and defies you to label it with a soundbite. More than reason enough to acknowledge it with a hearty thumbs up, I'd say.
|
