Hopewell Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
"This is not a collection of cast off odds and sods," the press release insists, although this EP does contain a song recorded during the session for their Hopewell & the Birds of Appetite album; a collaboration with Mercury Rev; an adaptation of a Gene Clark number; and a pair of brief -- under two minute -- pieces, that are more mood enhancers than songs. So it does indeed look like a bunch of Hopewell's leftovers, outtakes, and not quite brought to fruition ideas; musically, however, Not Birds hangs perfectly together as a complete set. Within, Hopewell give full rein to their poppier side, as the title track which kicks off the CD makes clear. Here the band enter the post-punk crypt to disinter a proto-gothic atmosphere, a skittering guitar that crawls off towards very early the Edge, and tosses in a touch of sharp, Banshee-esque rhythm, before going out in an explosion of modern rock. Dark dance for a new generation. "True Blue," in contrast, highlights the band's love of the Beatles, but for all its Revolver era feel, the brightness of the music is belied by the lyrics' rather terrifying vision of awaking in the middle of surgery. "Beautiful Targets," the number that pairs them with Mercury Rev, soars skyward, as if Roy Orbison was paying a tribute to "Freebird." On the Clark cover, an inspired adaptation of "With Tomorrow," Hopewell brilliantly pull all their influences together. With the final two numbers, one an evocative, fuzz-drenched instrumental, the other, a pretty guitar and vocal only ballad, slots in the final pieces to the band's musical jigsaw. The set feels like a taster of new, even more interesting things to come, an appetizer for the full-course next album And judging by this EP, it promises to be a musically intriguing feast. ~ Jo-Ann Greene, All Music Guide
'Hopewell & the Birds of Appetite'
Release Date 1/1/2005
Tracks 12
Label Tee Pee
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
"If my brain is alive in 2005" Jason Russo sang at the start of The Curved Glass. Well, his brain is alive five years later, and on Birds of Appetite (inspired by Thomas Merton's Zen and the Birds of Appetite), Hopewell's neo-psychedelic rock is a spirited vehicle for Russo's tear-jerking narratives. Within a record about struggle ("and we're living in Calcutta/with one foot in the grave and the other in the gutter"), his subjects are faced with survival, death, and rising floods. He attempts to reassure them ("and if you wake up screaming, know that God is near"), giving the impression that he's witnessed their hardships first-hand. The moderately paced jams, landing somewhere between the Flaming Lips and early-'70s Pink Floyd, adds a pulse to the sadness. Enlivened with trumpet, Hammond organ, and cello, the songs are never quite as enveloping as contempories the Lips or Mercury Rev ("Synthetic Symphony" being a tremendous exception), though unlike those bands, Hopewell takes more time to develop their creations, holding out for something more expressive. ~ Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Curved Glass is a collection of spacey pop songs consisting of complex layers of instrumentation intermixed with bloops and bleeps. This makes sense, as the band shares members with Mercury Rev, among others. These are compositions of swirling sound collages from another planet. Each song has about eight or nine layers of music and sound effects filling your ears simultaneously. Occasional moments of Friends of Dean Martinez occur as well. The vocals are usually as affected as your standard Radiohead album, but without Thom Yorke's pained voice. The last sound heard on the record is a faint whooshing, like a recording from a distant rocket ship taking them back into orbit. ~ Jeremy Salmon, All Music Guide
