Hierophant

"Popular Astronomy" CD

self-released

Genres: indie rock

November 2006

Semi-typical indie rock from this group of Cincinnati musicians. With all members sharing songwriting duties there's some measure of variety on Popular Astronomy but on the whole it's a little dull. The slick production values lend the effort a solid amount of gloss (though not to a repulsive extent), but the main thing holding this disc back is the lack of an immediately infectious tune. Too much of this turns into grating and unoriginal rock, especially some of the longer songs, and it's only occasional moments that stand out. Among these are elegantly groovy "Given the Business," which evokes the image of a shady jazz bar, and profusely fun "Starshot". Aside from the highlights, however (as well as some brief interludes), there's a whole lot of middle-range stuff on offer here. It's diggable, for sure, but nothing incredible. If Hierophant can craft a whole record out of their more innovative material they could have something.

mp3s (from hierophantsound.com): given the business, starshot

70%

Fun Fact: According to wikipedia: "The role of the hierophant in religion is to bring the congregants into the presence of that which is deemed holy."

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by CD Baby, released 2005]