The Golden Hum
Remy Zero has always displayed a keen understanding of rock's history, mining the sounds of '70s prog-rock, early '80s art pop, and the bombastic spirituality of U2 to create a unique sound. Unfortunately, previous efforts, while wonderful albums, suffered from an overabundance of ideas and a lack of editorial discretion. Often the band would try to fit an album's worth of ideas into a single song.The Golden Hum, Remy Zero's first release in three years, finds the band in control of its vision, reigning in its ambitions and creating an album of richly textured rock songs. While the band is often compared to R.E.M. and Radiohead, a more appropriate comparison would be David Bowie. Finding inspiration in the early hook-filled albums likeHunky Doryand the musical experimentation of the "Berlin" albums (Low,Lodger, andHeroes), Remy Zero has crafted an album that displays the best elements of glam-rock. Eschewing the feather boas and silly pretense that often passes for glam,The Golden Humis filled with big riffs, subtle hooks, and soaring vocals. And like the best rock bands, Remy Zero revels in the music's contradictions: dark and uplifting, cynical and hopeful,The Golden Humshould certainly stand as one of 2001's best albums.--Adam Silverman