The Hush Sound – Goodbye Blues

Artist: The Hush Sound
Album: Goodbye Blues
Label: Fueled By Ramen
Purchase: Fueled By Ramen
Release Date: March 18, 2008

Overall: 8.5
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 8.5
Production: 8.0

Don’t bother rechecking the artist of the Goodbye Blues album, this new sound is indeed The Hush Sound. Lovers of Like Vines (2006) and So Sudden (2005) may be shocked by what they hear–or who they do not hear. Greta Salpeter noticeably carries the album, singing lead in 9 out of the 13 tracks with Bob Morris, Darren Wilson, and Chris Faller sinking into a rhythmic chant in the background. Aside from the plethora of estrogen, The Hush Sound have also adopted a darker and sassier tone, thanks to the primarily minor tonality, and are noticeably more emotionally connected and confident with their songs than ever before.

While fans will be surprised to find that they have altered their style, they will also appreciate the immense maturity and depth heard in the instrumentation. Salpeter’s voice has lost its airily sweet tone from Like Vines, and now resembles that of Regina Spektor and Fiona Apple. Although two very large names to measure up to, she exceeds expectations with her sultry, bluesy flavored vocals and soulful piano ballads. She sets the haunting tone for the rest of the album with “Intro”, but no other songs seep with such sincerity and heart-wrenching passion as “Hurricane.” Although her range has undeniably expanded, she does occasionally push her voice to resemble a genre that it simply is not. Bob Morris thankfully leads as well, yet all three songs have the same theme and tone. Starting with “As You Cry”, a blunt break-up song, Morris croons two more teenage angst numbers with the same lyrics of insensitivity towards the same lyrical ex-girlfriend. However moody these are, they provide a refreshing change from heavy Salpeter songs and highlight his musical maturity.

Although the album mainly consists of brooding vocals, it does have its share of upbeat songs. “Medicine Man” stands out from the album as the most mainstreamed and has been featured in commercials for the hit TV show “House”, yet the first ragtime feel appears in “Love You Much Better”, where vocals spring energetically over the show tune piano and cadenced clapping. “Molasses” is another relief from the others, yet there’s no milk and sugar to be found in this song with Salpeter sassing her way through the melody of swanky backings and lyrics. “The Boys are Too Refined” has Salpeter competing against “the boys” and their electric guitar slides, and portrays obvious promiscuity with her sultry vocals of “And if the timing is right / to sneak off into the night / I’ll let myself to be taken just for the thrill.” This is just one of the songs in which Salpeter displays her subtly increased sexuality, adding a new deflowered flavor missing from the previously chaste albums.

Have an open mind while listening to Goodbye Blues, as it may take a few tries before the rich songs do not leave you with a melancholy feeling. This underrated band may have taken a different path than expected, but hopefully it is one that will result in the recognition it deserves. So Sudden and Like Vines were the cautious young albums of wistful and poppy lyrics, seemingly searching for something. Whatever they were looking for, they definitely found it in Goodbye Blues.

Track Listing
1. Intro
2. Honey
3. Medicine Man
4. The Boys Are Too Refined
5. Hurricane
6. As You Cry
7. Six (Interlude)
8. Molasses
9. That’s Okay
10. Not Your Concern
11. Love You Much Better
12. Hospital Bed Crawl
13. Break The Sky