steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Humming Wire

Self-titled CDEP

Self-released

Genres: alternative rock, metal, hard rock

Dec 13 - 19 2004

To their credit, Humming Wire plays remarkably tight hard rock.  The songs here are technically fine, and it's clear the band members know what they're doing.  However, bland alternative rock such as this doesn't seem to have anything interesting or worthwhile to its credit.  The lyrics are generic, the sound is far from original, and the melodies are nothing special.  "Love Machine," for example, sounds like any one of those hard alt rock bands that used to be popular (Incubus, Korn) - the songs rely on simple power chords and emotional vocals that become all growly and vicious at the song's climax.  Only the album's love song, "Stella" is melodic enough to be pleasant - as the EP's lush, calm moment, it makes for a nice break from the generic mayhem that fills out the rest of the disc.  Finale "Airplane Song" also has a neat guitar part during the verse, but the screamy chorus fails to do it justice.  All in all, this isn't a bad record, it's just too bland and unoriginal to warrant any real attention.  At times, the band shows off some interesting concepts - proof that they do have what it takes to produce something original - however, they'll need a bit more time to marinate before they're ready for their next release.

68%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 6 tracks, distributed by the band, released 2004]