"I spent about 9 months trying to get a hold of Hex. After reading about what a ground breaking album it was, I really wanted to hear it. Progressive music fans like me live for albums that carry such cudos.This is a great album: subtle, lush, layered, hypnotic and sophistscated. Bark Psychosis reject any attempts at being commercial, and follow their vision comepletely. The results is wonderful, engaging music.But Hex is not the revolutionary step it is touted to be. There is nothing on here that King Crimson, Eno, or Fripp and Eno had not done by 1975. Anybody that follows progressive music will be able to trace this album back to those two towers of strength, not to mention Can, Faust, Hawkwind, or the Velvet Underground's drone explorations in the late-60s. Ture, technology has gotten much better, and smart bands like Bark Psychosis are able to many more sounds into their music, and create more shining sheens.But this whole notion of "post-rock" is false. Things like this have been going on since the early days of psychadelia. You just have look."
Best Hex I've Ever Been Under
Christopher R. Cicatelli | bethesda, md | 12/26/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"once in a while, a CD comes along that will change the way one looks at music...the way one feels about music...and definitely, the way one appreciates musical soundcsapes. Hex by the late Bark Psychosis is without a doubt one of the most amazing collections music that will ever grace your auditory senses. weaving guitars...scattered drum beats that keep an eccentric rhythm...punctuating, yet smooth, rolling piano...and mellow dramatic, breathy vocals that gently flow throughout. i must admit, at first, i didn't know what to expect. but after the first listen, i was hooked. i'm into mellow, chilly, and trippy kickin' stuff, and Hex delivers. amazing to think this music was recorded back in the early nineties. each track could be released today, and it would still feel like something new is about to explode. what a gem of a find....simply start with cover and get lost in the astral glow in the night sky, then push play, and enjoy. if you're a fan of Cocteau...you're in. a fan of Eno? not a problem. dig a little Talk Talk? that'll help. even if you like Sneaker Pimps, Hex by Bark Psychosis will hold permanent residence in your CD player at home, in your car, and in your computer at work. Pick one up for yourself, then pick one up for a friend...It's a great Hex to be under.Peace"
Helpful signpost
Christopher R. Cicatelli | 08/21/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Just thought fans of this wonderful album might like to know where to find similar sounds: Bark Psychosis were strongly influenced by late-period Talk Talk (Spirit of Eden, Laughing Stock), as are current period Radiohead. Talk Talk's drummer Lee Harris even helped on the production of Hex, so the link is pretty close. Worth a listen."
Shimmering in the dark
Jake Mohan | Chicago, United States | 11/17/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Everyone has a "default" or "go to" album - the one they put in when they are paralyzed with indecision by the other 400 in their collection; the one CD they listen to when they are just too sad, tired, or uninspired to pick anything else. For the last several years, HEX has been that album. I bought it after I heard "Pendulum Man" during a love affair with ambient compilations, and the rest of the songs quickly grew on me. Definitely a "concept" album without an overt concept, this is melancholy mood music defined. "Eyes & Smiles" is an epic of sad resignation, while "A Street Scene" and "Big Shot" describe, both lyrically and musically, that painful crux where external and internal conflicts meet. "Pendulum Man" remains the most beautiful ambient recording I've ever heard, even while Fripp and Eno may be kings of the genre. This album is even more of a treasure since it's "out of stock," and I suggest we petition the label to reprint. Get this album and take refuge!"
Beautiful and immersive, a truly wonderful album
Kenneth | 01/04/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is an album of controversies, entire soundscapes built on nuances and changes, seemingly a testimony that nothing can last. Built on a bed of electronic sound and rounded off with acoustic pianos and percussion, each song unfolds slowly, allowing one to savour each and every moment. A lone piano melody starts off 'The Loom', which is then joined by gentle violins and percussion, then climaxes with bass and Graham Sutton's vocals to melt away into synthesizers and drums that slowly wind down to the end. Screeching, howling electric guitar and tinkling piano play off each other on 'Fingerspit'. 'Eyes and Smiles', the best song on the album, is built on beautiful synthesizer melodies and gently tinkling cymbals, which rise and fall with the vocals and work their way to a climatic ending around Sutton screaming that 'you've got to go on.' To end the album, 'Pendulum Man' is a quiet, meditative, and immensely beautiful synthesizer piece. The other songs are all excellent as well, giving a well-rounded album that is beautiful and immersing, leaving one aching for more."