THE HUMAN VALUE are a single minded trio with a strong vocalist called Turu. In the midnight delirium of a mind-adjusted social event and twenty minutes of intensely minimal, driving music they could crook a finger and take you wherever they wanted you to go.
With the poppiest of their tunes "Parts", they could set indie chart lists blazing.
But on a 15-song, 55 minute album they do themselves few favours. Turu's husky (sometimes soaring) voice has plenty of appeal and variety. But most of what she's doing is busking around short repetitive phrases set up by relentlessly self-limiting backing tracks with near-universal blocks of four bar fuzzed guitar phrases and unimaginative drumming.
Listening all the way the way through is hard work. One tune - title track "Push and Pull" has Turu's not-bad-at-all piano playing, in triple time. It's one of two oases in a desert of pretty slack indie stoner music. The other welcome respite is the aforementioned "Parts" while "All These Years" has a Glam Rock texture with a shiver of Garry Glitter in the background.
Otherwise it's all Plan A. Fuzzed up guitar, minimal riff movement in short chunks and plenty of repeats. I find myself wondering how the band remember which song they're doing once they've started. It doesn't really matter on stage, I guess because Turu's snake-hipped vocal is the whole show. She can definitely sing and will no doubt emerge as a star in her own right.
|
It's just a shame that the talent is spread across too many songs that should have already have been dropped from the set list. Lyrics are minimal-to-meaningless. Whenever imagination fails there are woahs, oohs, yeahs and mantric repeats. That's OK live, but on permanent record it feels like being sold short.
Additional studio material from keyboards and extra musicians add a little polish, but can't hide the inherent dullness of the material.
www.last.fm/music/The+Human+Value
www.myspace.com/thehumanvalue
|
