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Another noisy psych band of the school of Mercury Rev (leader J. Russo tours with that band), Hopewell succeeds only moderately. Songs themselves are none too memorable, sometimes seeming less like a frame for frenetic freeforming than an excuse for it. The ghost of early Pink Floyd leaves ectoplasmic traces all over this disc, leaving alien guitar on the opening "Love Sweet Cancer" and spacey organ excursions on "Drop." "Purple Balloon" copies the Flaming Lips' surreal whimsy a bit too closely. "Jim Laffin," though, begins to sound out the band's own musical territory, and the closing "This Little Light" probably succeeds best in conveying what Hopewell wants to be. Beginning with a thankfully brief solo vocal rendition of the wimpy Jesoid campfire dreadful that provides its title, it quickly morphs into a lengthy workout for guitar and organ. Something that sounds very like an Eno ambient track gradually emerges to provide a backdrop, and then the whole thing drifts into a episode for quiet piano, disembodied spoken voices, and scratchy record noises, finally fading in an extended coda of crickety electronic noises. Even though it's the longest track on the CD, it avoids the sense of aimlessness troubling some other tracks here because its multiple sections give the song a sense of structure. The effect is of a slow pan over gradually changing geography, while the less successful tracks are a relentless going over the same old ground. |
