Search - Human Television :: Look at Who You're Talking to

Taking less is more to the extreme

a pen name | Take your best guess | 07/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though it isn't an epic masterpiece by any standards, this sure is one beautifully crafted slab of 80s tinged Jangle Pop (and without any cheesy 80s drum sound!). Full of really catchy melodies and a very dreamlike atmosphere. Granted, a few people are likely to complain about the cretin simplicity behind the lyrics/vocals, But within the context of the music, they give the album a very down to earth, honest feeling. Lastly, I'd like to praise the album on it's relatively short length, since it seems to end right before it grows tiresone.



Overall, It's 39 minutes of high quatlity ear candy. Nothing more. Nothing less."

College radio, circa 1985, revisited

John L Murphy | Los Angeles | 06/09/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This reminds me on most of its tracks not of REM (to whom they've been compared) so much as lesser-known bands from the Athens GA art-postpunk-jangle scene of the mid-80s, who combined winsome vocals and chiming guitars with uneasy arrangements and a penchant for experimenting with the three-minute folk-pop-college radio, vaguely 60s-inspired, standard form. Two songs join REM's pep to the Feelies' propulsion quite winningly. They stand out.



The others, however, drift into territory more hazy, such as Rain Parade, Swimming Pool Qs, or the Reivers (Zeitgeist) all toyed with in their smaller regional heydays two decades ago. That is, unassuming vocals--which here unfortunately hold back the potential in the band's music, as the voices are too hesitant and untutored--join to mid-tempo beats mixed with diffused texture that blurs the delivery of words and music. Human Television is a bit too hesitant here. For the album to stick, it needs more assertion and depth than the vocalists give the music here. Not that lack of technical perfection's always a handicap in indie rock; you need a sense of attitude or emotion, however, that this band's not yet mastered. The singing needs to be more memorable.



If the band can project a more forceful vocal presence, they should go farther in maximizing the talent that their songs reveal. As they're just warming up their career, I hope they will add a bit more character to their singing, and stick around for awhile--these are inviting songs that will welcome you back."

Near Perfect Pop

John D. Flores | Everywhere, California | 05/18/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Melodic perfection. They play rickenbackers, love the Violent Femmes and the Smiths, are barely out of high school and, they are one of the most important bands in the USA."