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No one has rated this album. You can be the first. | Hella - Homeboy EP / Concentration Face DVD | Hella - Homeboy EP / Concentration Face DVD
Release Date: November 8, 2005
Record Label: 5 Rue Christine
Quite honestly, this shit’s weird. It’s not that I’m totally unfamiliar with the NorCal (I feel lame saying that) instrumental spazz-rock duo—a good friend of mine had introduced me to Hella back in 2002 when they released Hold Your Horse Is, and I thought there were some pretty cool songs here and there, but I wasn’t really blown away or anything. Seriously though, this new stuff is just ridiculously weird. Perhaps I’m not supposed to “understand” it, being the pop rock reviewer I am, and if that’s the case, then so be it; it’s not my thing. Maybe that’s exactly what the band wants people such as myself, an emo webzine writer, to say. Oh well. I truly did enjoy a few songs on Hold Your Horse Is, namely “Biblical Violence,” "Republic of Rough and Ready," and “1-800-GHOST-DANCE,” but I just can't get into any of the 4 songs on this EP (two of the tracks clock in at over eleven minutes, for Satan’s sake!). The band’s last album, Church Gone Wild / Chirpin’ Hard, a double CD, much like Outkast’s Speakerboxxx / The Love Below where each member claimed their own disc, saw the band getting a little weirder, so I suppose the Homeboy EP is just the next natural step in the evolution of the band, but I think they may have evolved just a little too much. I'm still human; seems these guys aren't.
For those who haven’t heard Hella, one word shall suffice: spazztasticandsomewhatcacophonous. The band is ridiculous. Zach Hill’s drumming is as confounding as ever on the EP, never relenting, and never easy to understand—it’s almost like each song is just one huge fill. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a drummer with such stamina, and maybe more impressive than the utter speed and randomness with which he plays is the fact that he actually knows what he’s doing. I just can’t wrap my mind around it. To be honest, I didn’t really listen to Church Gone Wild / Chirpin’ Hard all that much because it was pretty fucking weird itself, so I don’t know what Spencer Seim’s guitar playing was like on that, but his chaotic, almost noisy, tech-jazz, clean guitars are still here sometimes, although it seems he’s been messing around with some effects. Another thing that I noticed is different from Hold Your Horse Is and the band's 2004 release, The Devil Isn't Red, is that the band is actually layering things now, such as electronics, jarring pianos, and synths, whereas they used to just be a straight up guitar and drums duo, no frills attached. I think I enjoyed it much more that way, as things seem to be a bit cluttered now. Anyways, I’m not going to try to explain the music—I simply can’t. I’m incompetent, I suppose. I’d like to talk with the band some day and just ask what’s going through their minds when they write this music, and what they hope to convey through it. I just don’t get it. Nevertheless, the musicianship is stunning; the fact is indisputable.
Along with the EP came a live DVD titled Concentration Face, which is an assemblage of various Hella performances, most of which come from their recent Japanese tour. I’d always been told by friends and people I’d met that Hella is a band you need to see live to understand and appreciate. Well, after watching the DVD, I still don’t understand the band, but what I do know is that the band’s technicality is just incredible. Watching Stephen Hill’s lanky body hovering over his tiny drumkit, his hands moving at supersonic speeds, is really, really fun to watch—almost mesmerizing. But I still don’t understand the music, and that’s my problem. There are quite a few videos on the DVD as well, so you’d definitely get your money’s worth if what you’ve been looking for are live Hella videos.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend this release for people who haven't Hella before; listening to Homeboy before listening to Hold Your Horse Is or The Devil Isn't Red would be like trying to get a PhD in mathematics without ever having taken algebra. Or something. For those who have had their Hella-cherry popped, and loved it, you will probably like the DVD, and those who liked Church Gone Wild / Chirpin' Hard might enjoy the EP, but I can't guarantee anything if you were only into the earlier releases.
Maybe someday I’ll understand Hella, and more specifically, this release, but for now, I’ll just have to stand back, smile, and appreciate their talent. |
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Displaying posts 1 - 3 of 3. |
09:12 PM on 02/03/06 | Vocals - n/a
Instrumentals - 8.5
Replayability - 5
Staying Power - 5
Lyrics - n/a
Production - 5.5
Artwork - n/a
Live Show - ONE BILLION/10
seriously. | | |
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05:28 PM on 02/06/07 | Yeah, Hella is amazing. This homeboy EP is much more along the lines of "Church Gone Wild", with the reverb on the instruments, and that avant-garde screaming of the instruments. The only thing that irrates me about it are the occasional yells from what sounds like a little boy cursing. hahaha | | |
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